PHOENIX — The Orioles are in Arizona this week for their series against the Diamondbacks and Corbin Burnes is in the home dugout. Had this past offseason unfolded differently, Burnes could’ve remained on the other side.
Baltimore offered Burnes a four-year, $180 million deal in free agency before he signed his six-year, $210 million contract with Arizona, a source with knowledge of the terms told The Baltimore Sun. Burnes said ahead of Tuesday night’s game that the Orioles were among the final teams in the running before he signed but Arizona’s willingness to go six years was a significant factor along with his growing young family calling nearby Scottsdale home.
“I don’t think the dollar amount was an issue because the dollars here [in Arizona] were more than they were there [in Baltimore] in the offers,” Burnes said. “I just don’t think we necessarily matched up in the years it was going to take to kind of get to a dollar amount to stay there.
“Now, I can’t guarantee I would’ve gone there had this offer [from Arizona] not come around. Just kind of one of those things, the way it lined up, us living here, [the Diamondbacks] were going to be serious and have a fair offer, this is where we were going to be. So, it’s tough to play the what-if game. But yeah, they were definitely interested. But this was by far the best offer that we had.”
Dbacks’ Corbin Burnes says the Orioles made a four-year offer in free agency and he got the sense they might go to five but ultimately the Dbacks went to six years and $210M for the highest offer and one that let him stay close to home. pic.twitter.com/qkHo2hJgHY
— Matt Weyrich (@ByMattWeyrich) April 8, 2025
The Orioles’ offer would’ve given Burnes, 30, the highest average annual value ($45 million) for a pitcher in MLB history and third highest of any player behind only Juan Soto and Shohei Ohtani. Max Scherzer holds the record for the highest AAV for a pitcher at $43.33 million. However, the Diamondbacks were willing to include an opt-out for Burnes after the 2026 season, guaranteeing him about $61.67 million before he will have the opportunity to hit free agency again ahead of 2027.
Burnes said that he got the impression the Orioles would’ve pushed their offer to five years, but the Diamondbacks “came in hot and heavy and we got it done in a matter of 72 hours.” Orioles owner David Rubenstein said in an interview with Baltimore Magazine in April that “I’m not sure any amount of money would have made much difference.”
Location was a primary driver in Burnes’ final decision after his wife Brooke gave birth to twins last June, expanding their family to three young children. He made frequent trips to Arizona throughout last season to be with his family and has found his work-life balance much easier these past few months after being only a car drive away for spring training and home games.
“Just being around, my son just turned 3 a month ago,” Burnes said of his oldest. “We were on the road for six days and when I told him I had to leave, it was heartbreak. Just crying, ‘Don’t go, don’t go.’ Where last year, he didn’t understand quite as much, but it was coming home for a day and then being gone for two weeks. Just the magnitude of time I get to be around them, be someone who helps my wife raise my daughters and my son a little bit more than years past, is for me — I can’t take that for granted.”
His decision to sign with the Diamondbacks after posting a 2.92 ERA in Baltimore left the Orioles without an obvious No. 1 starter atop their rotation. Zach Eflin, who was their No. 2 behind Burnes down the stretch last season, has assumed that mantle with three straight quality starts to begin the year — though the Orioles are awaiting the results of an MRI after he left his start Monday with shoulder fatigue.
The rest of the Orioles’ rotation has struggled with a 6.21 combined ERA in eight starts. They signed Charlie Morton (one year, $15 million), Tomoyuki Sugano (one year, $13 million) and Kyle Gibson (one year, $5.25 million) to bolster their starting pitcher depth, though none of them offered the upside Burnes, a former Cy Young Award winner, did.
“He’s home,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “Home for spring training. Home for the season. But yeah, we miss him. He was a bulldog for us last year and we have a good relationship and enjoyed catching up with him today.”
The Mid-Atlantic Sports Network was first to report the terms of the Orioles’ offer to Burnes.
Have a news tip? Contact Matt Weyrich at mweyrich@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/ByMattWeyrich and instagram.com/bymattweyrich.
