From out of nowhere, the Arizona Diamondbacks swooped in and landed Corbin Burnes on a six-year, $210 million deal. Not only does the deal have the potential to be the largest in franchise history, edging out Zack Greinke's $206.5 million from nine offseasons ago, but it also features an opt-out following the 2026 season.
Like with Greinke, the Diamondbacks weren't necessarily linked to Burnes all offseason but a deal quickly came together over the last 3-4 days according to Arizona Sports insider John Gambadoro. While they weren't necessarily as desperate to acquire starting pitching as other clubs, the extra perks of getting to live in Arizona year-round made them an unlikely yet attractive destination for the former Brewers and Orioles ace.
Corbin Burnes and Blake Snell headline arms race amongst top NL West teams
It's unclear if their interest in Burnes is related to the Los Angeles Dodgers adding Blake Snell last month, but it certainly plays an underlying story. The Dodgers are the Diamondbacks' biggest obstacle in what looks to be an increasingly more competitive National League West, with both teams adding a marquee starter to the top of their rotations this offseason. Los Angeles and Arizona are the last two NL pennant winners and should be expected to battle for another one in 2025.
The addition of Burnes gives Arizona one of the best starting rotations in baseball on paper. They have established arms in Zac Gallen, Eduardo Rodríguez, and Merrill Kelly and will be hoping for better health from the trio in 2025.
Combined with postseason hero Brandon Pfaadt and 2024 breakout starter Ryne Nelson, they have an enviable amount of arms to choose from. It should give them a chance to compete with their more affluent rivals out west.
Leaning on their experience from the 2023 postseason, the Diamondbacks know at some point they have to get past the Dodgers to get back to the World Series. It won't be as easy as 2023, when Los Angeles had to rely on a beat-up Clayton Kershaw, a rookie making his first postseason start in Bobby Miller, and a homer-prone pitcher in Lance Lynn. In a short series, they can now send Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani, and Snell, all of whom are a tough challenge for any lineup.
Corbin Burnes signing adds future flexibility to Diamondbacks rotation
While Arizona could have banked on a better performance from their rotation, simply by being more healthy and better prepared for the season, they chose to add more stability.
Gallen and Kelly are set to hit free agency after the 2025 season, which had the potential to shut their contention window with no top of the rotation arm. Now with Burnes in Arizona, that window is extended for at least one more season.
Signing Corbin Burnes gives the Diamondbacks backside protection if/when they lose Zac Gallen in free agency next season.
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) December 28, 2024
The Diamondbacks still have pressing needs on their roster and now seven starters who deserve a rotation spot, if healthy. Arizona has been aggressive in shopping Jordan Montgomery, who's owed $22.5 million for 2025, but have yet to find a taker.
Roster Resource projects their 2025 payroll to be $193 million and the Competitive Balance Tax payroll of $217 million, but that's likely to come down once the salary structure and the amount of money that's deferred are reported.
They may also look at trading one of their younger and controllable starters to add an impact bat to their lineup or a proven closer. Hitters such as Triston Casas or Brent Rooker, power hitters who have at least three years of control, come to mind. If they can't pry away a bat, they could target a backend arm like Griffin Jax from the Minnesota Twins or Cade Smith from the Cleveland Guardians.
Now with their rotation mostly settled for the 2025 season, the next move for the Diamondbacks will be to target a middle of the order bat to replace Joc Pederson or a closer to replace Paul Sewald. Depending on their payroll situation, those options could come either in a trade or free agency.