Corbin Burnes isn't coming to San Francisco.
The marquee free-agent right-handed pitcher has agreed to a six-year, $210 million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks, the New York Post's Jon Heyman first reported Friday night. ESPN's Jeff Passan also reported details of the deal.
Breaking: Corbin Burnes to Diamondbacks, $210M, 6 years. opt out after 2 years.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 28, 2024
Right-hander Corbin Burnes and the Arizona Diamondbacks are in agreement on a six-year, $210 million contract, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 28, 2024
After a quiet winter, Arizona gets the best pitcher on the market. And Burnes gets to play for a dangerous NL West team. First on news: @JonHeyman.
The Giants pursued Burnes and were believed to be one of the two favorites to land the former Cy Young Award winner, along with the Toronto Blue Jays.
MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reported Thursday that the Giants had an offer on the table to Burnes but that their patience was running low and they might move on.
USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported shortly after news of the agreement broke that the Giants and Blue Jays offered Burnes more money, but the tax implications in Arizona factored into his decision.
San Francisco Giants
Corbin Burnes was offered more by the Giants and Blue Jays but big tax difference in Arizona
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 28, 2024
Giants ace Logan Webb and their new shortstop, Willy Adames, had been putting on the full-court press to woo Burnes to San Francisco but it didn't work.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. >Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
Adames said during his introductory press conference on Dec. 12 that he planned to call Burnes to the Giants and a few days later, he went on KNBR 680 to discuss a "really positive" conversation with his former Milwaukee Brewers teammate.
Webb was giddy at the idea of pitching in the same rotation as Burnes.
"It's crazy, if he does come, the amount of stud pitchers that I've gotten to play with so far in my career, there's so many Cy Youngs," Webb told Jomboy Media's Chris Rose on Dec. 16. "It's actually pretty cool ... if Corbin goes out there and throws, and I throw right after him the next day, it's literally perfect. We're the complete opposite pitchers, and I think that's a good thing. You don't want too many of the same guys. It's almost like a perfect match. But I don't make the decisions.
"I know Corbin a little bit, I would be over the moon for sure if we got Corbin. I think that would be a huge addition, obviously. One of the best, if not the best pitcher in baseball. Adding a guy like that would be unbelievable."
So, instead of pairing Burnes with Webb at the top of their rotation, the Giants will have to face the ace multiple times a season for the foreseeable future.
