Former Brewers ace has surprising new team after late night blockbuster signing

There is no denying that when the Milwaukee Brewers traded Corbin Burnes last offseason, it was an absolute gut punch. Burnes was/is one of the best pitchers in baseball and Milwaukee was a strictly better team with him at the front of their rotation. However, Burnes was getting expensive in arbitration and with the relationship with their ace frayed to put it kindly, the organization felt like they had to capitalize on his value while they could.

After a strong year with Baltimore albeit with a continued downward trend in his strikeout rate, Burnes finally got to free agency this offseason as one of the best arms available. Most thought that the Blue Jays and Giants were the favorites to land him with the Cubs emerging as contenders for Burnes lately as well. A reunion with the Orioles was also a possibility, although Baltimore had shown less of an appetite to hand out a massive long-term deal to anyone this offseason.

None of those teams ended up landing Burnes, though, as the Diamondbacks swooped in and got a deal with Burnes done to the tune of six years, $210 million late on Friday night.

Former Brewers ace Corbin Burnes just got paid in a big way by the Diamondbacks

On the surface, the deal that Burnes ultimately signed with Arizona is a little bit odd given that the word was that he was looking to beat the $245 million guarantee given to Stephen Strasburg before the 2020 season. However, a closer look at the deal explains why Burnes ended up taking less guaranteed money than Max Fried got earlier this offseason from the Yankees.

Burnes' new deal comes with an opt-out after the 2026 season. Yes, the total value of Burnes' deal is less than Fried's deal, but the AAV is higher and assuming he pitches well over the next couple of seasons, it is a mortal lock that he is going to exercise that opt-out and look for one last massive payday.

It doesn't hurt that the Diamondbacks are likely to be contenders for a playoff spot the next few years especially with Burnes in their rotation. Arizona got to the World Series in 2023 and have some real talent on both sides of the ball to work with. For a guy like Burnes who both wants to get paid and also compete in the postseason, this is close to an ideal situation for him.

Unfortunately, Burnes remaining in the National League could make the Brewers' lives a bit more difficult. Milwaukee is going to be among the favorites to win the NL Central again as things currently stand, but they are also likely to have to play in the wild card round again if they make the playoffs. Don't be surprised if they end up having to face Burnes if/when they end up getting there.

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