The San Francisco Giants made a big-time pitching addition right before the start of the 2024 season when they signed Blake Snell. With Snell likely to opt out in search of the long-term deal that eluded him this season, the Giants could be in the market for a new ace.
Looking ahead at the next offseason, Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer listed the Giants as a top landing spot for 2021 National League Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes. Burnes will enter free agency for the first time in his career this winter.
"Snell is as good as Burnes or anyone else when he's healthy and in a groove, but it would be a reach to identify that as his default state," wrote Rymer. "He's also notoriously on the wild side, as his career walks-per-nine rate (4.1) is significantly higher than Burnes' (2.5)."
The Orioles acquired Burnes from the Milwaukee Brewers this offseason and signed him to a one-year, $15.6 million deal, avoiding arbitration. Rymer predicts Burnes will sign an eight-year, $288 million contract when he hits the open market this offseason. The price may however be too steep for the Giants.
"There is nonetheless the question of whether Burnes is in the Giants' preferred price range," wrote Rymer. "They aren't short on revenue, but the franchise's tendency is more toward two- and three-year deals rather than long-term whoppers such as the one Burnes and Boras will be looking for."
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