Why Corbin Burnes Was the Perfect Fit for the D-Backs

The Arizona Diamondbacks surprised the baseball world over the weekend when they inked ace Corbin Burnes to a six-year, $210 million deal to anchor the top of their starting rotation.

Several big-market teams were in on Burnes to the very end, and the Diamondbacks weren’t expected to be involved with some of the top pitchers on the open market. The deal was a bit of a surprise when the news came across the ticker for that reason, but it’s a signing that makes a ton of sense for both parties.

Burnes’ deal includes an opt-out after year two of his contract, giving him a bit more flexibility in his age-32 season. Likewise, there were several advantages outside of the hefty price tag that the Diamondbacks had over other teams that made Arizona an appealing destination.

For the D-Backs, they now have their ace that could potentially take them over the hill as they strive to get back to the World Series. In more ways than one, Burnes was the perfect fit for this ball club.

Not only does what he bring to the mound fit exactly what they need in the rotation, but the deal also sends a message to the rest of the league that smaller-market teams can still be in the mix to land the big fish in free agency.

Corbin Burnes is the Perfect Fit for the D-Backs

Burnes’ Accolades

Obviously, bringing in one of the best pitchers in the game is going to have a huge impact on a team’s outlook. By now, we all know how good Burnes is. But it’s still important to remind fans of just how reliable he has been for the past half decade, along with how valuable that will be for Arizona moving forward.

Burnes has received CY Young votes in five consecutive seasons (which is the longest active streak in MLB), and he won the award with the Milwaukee Brewers back in 2021. Across those five seasons, Burnes is the only pitcher with at least 700 innings pitched and an ERA under 2.90.

Dating back to the beginning of his Cy Young-winning 2021 season, Burnes is pitching to a 2.94 ERA to go with a FIP of 3.08, both of which are among the top 10 in baseball over that stretch. He’s also accumulated an fWAR of 19.2 during that time, which is second among pitchers only to Zack Wheeler (22.7).

Not only has he consistently been one of the top arms in the game in terms of production on the mound, but few pitchers have been more available than Burnes over the past handful of seasons.

Over his last four seasons, Burnes has accumulated 757 innings pitched, which is fourth in MLB only behind Aaron Nola (778.2), Logan Webb (761.1), and Wheeler (758.1). He’s surpassed 193 innings pitched in each of his last three seasons, including eclipsing 200 innings back in 2022.

Being able to dominate on the mound with such consistency is one thing, but pairing that with Burnes’ level of durability is what makes him such a special pitcher, and it’s why the D-Backs opened up the checkbook to bring him to Arizona.

Why Burnes Picked Arizona, and the Message That it Sends

As was alluded to earlier, the Diamondbacks were a surprise landing spot for the 30-year-old hurler.

There were plenty of teams in the market for his services that were willing to spend up to get him, and not many expected Arizona to match his price. In fact, Burnes reportedly turned down more money from the San Francisco Giants and the Toronto Blue Jays in order to sign with Arizona.

So, what made the Diamondbacks more appealing to Burnes? There are a couple of things that led to his decision.

For starters, Burnes and his family are residents of Scottsdale, Arizona, where he and his wife just had twins. Staying close to his family was a priority and a major perk of signing with the D-Backs.

Additionally, there were significant tax differences in Arizona compared to his other suitors, and the combination of those two things gave the Diamondbacks a unique advantage over other organizations in negotiations, even though they weren’t the highest bidder.

Still, it wasn’t a cheap contract, and the Diamondbacks deserve credit for spending despite the financial uncertainty surrounding the organization.

After Diamond Sports Group dropped the D-Backs from their umbrella in the summer of 2023, the looming RSN uncertainty raised questions as to how that will impact the team’s revenue and spending.

However, instead of using the RSN situation as an excuse to cut payroll, their front office assessed their roster, concluded that they aren’t far off from returning to contention, and went out and spent money on a star that was perfect for what their organization needed to get over the hill.

It’s a great example of how mid-market teams can compete with the bigger markets to attract some of the best players in baseball. The Diamondbacks didn’t need to offer Burnes the most money. Instead, they just needed to be in the right ballpark and let their other unique benefits attract Burnes to Arizona.

Of course, the strategy is not going to work on all players. But Burnes passing on more money elsewhere to sign with Arizona is an encouraging reminder that teams with limited budgets can still be land stars of the game.

That’s not only a good message to send to other small and mid market organizations, but it’s good for the sport of baseball itself.

What Burnes Means For the D-Backs’ Roster

The Diamondbacks may have just missed the playoffs in 2024, but they aren’t far off from returning to contention.

Offensively, there is a lot to build around. They finished the 2024 season tied for third in baseball in wRC+ (115); second in OPS (.777); and first in runs scored (886) and fWAR (33.8).

Conversely, they finished 27th in MLB with a staff ERA of 4.63. They were 27th in starter ERA at 4.79, and their bullpen finished 25th in ERA with a 4.41. As a staff, Arizona was 22nd in MLB in fWAR at 12.4.

Their deficiency in 2024 was pitching, and their group of starters vastly underwhelmed this past season.

Injuries didn’t help their cause, however. Zac Gallen missed nearly a month of the season due to a hamstring strain, Merrill Kelly made just 13 starts as he battled through a shoulder strain, and both Jordan Montgomery and Eduardo Rodriguez spent some time on the shelf as well.

That core of starters is plenty talented when healthy, but it’s also a group that has fought through injuries at times throughout their career. And that is exactly why Burnes’ durability will be so significant for this Diamondbacks team, as he raises both the floor and ceiling of this rotation.

Moreover, with Burnes now in the mix, it gives them a tremendous amount of pitching depth and provides them with plenty of roster flexibility heading into 2025.

Add Brandon Pfaadt into the mix of aforementioned starters, and it’s clear they have a surplus of starting pitching at the big league level. It’s likely Montgomery is the odd man out in the rotation, but even names such as Drey Jameson and Ryne Nelson have proven to be capable starters and deserve a spot in the rotation as well.

Perhaps Arizona trades from their surplus of hurlers to improve other parts of their roster. Then again, teams can never have too much pitching, and having such a deep group of promising starters could be an enormous luxury for them in 2025- especially considering the durability concerns they faced this past season.

Whichever avenue the D-Backs choose to take, adding Burnes into the fold improves their outlooking in a multitude of ways heading into 2025, and beyond.

Huge Step in Returning to the Postseason

The Diamondbacks aren’t always players for the flashiest names on the open market. They aren’t the biggest market in baseball, and they don’t have an unlimited budget when it comes to free agency spending.

Yet, they’ve shown their willingness to hand out a long-term deal when a promising opportunity presents itself, and the Burnes contract was the perfect example of just that.

The Diamondbacks aren’t just looking to compete in 2025. They’re looking to build around this young core that they established during their 2023 World Series run, and create prolonged success by spending their money wisely.

For example, both Gallen and Kelly, who have been the leaders of this team’s rotation, are set to hit free agency next offseason. In the event that they lose one of, or both, starters to free agency next winter, having Burnes inked to a a long-term deal can help keep this ball club remain on a competitive path moving forward.

It’s moves such as this that small and mid market teams should be looking and willing to make. The D-Backs made a stellar pitch to bring Burnes to Arizona despite not being the highest bidder, and Burnes was the picture-perfect fit and a major step in getting this organization back to World Series contention.