After another empty October, the worst may be yet to come for the Baltimore Orioles as an American League East rival may come calling for the team's top pitcher.
According to a report from Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic, the Boston Red Sox have an offseason checklist. Topping that list is the acquisition of a staff ace — specifically noted to be the No. 1 most coveted acquisition is current Orioles ace Corbin Burnes.
Boston president of baseball operations Craig Breslow has named the acquisition of an ace to lead the team's young rotation of Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello, and Kutter Crawford as a priority this winter.
Burnes' track record with the Milwaukee Brewers, as well as his ability to switch from the National League to the AL without missing a step, makes him a very attractive target for a Red Sox team looking to make the jump into the fray as a legitimate title contender in the ultra-competitive AL East.
Plus, if Boston can add a staff ace like Burnes — who went 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 181 strikeouts in 194.1 innings with Baltimore this season — at the expense of one of the teams that the Red Sox need to hurdle? All the better.
Burnes, who is represented by notorious agent Scott Boras, won't come cheap. Spotrac projects the 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner to command a contract of six years at $180 million.
Yet, with several teams expected to be in on Burnes this winter, that number is likely to approach — if not exceed — $200 million for a four-time All-Star that turns 30 years old on October 22.
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