With number one starter Corbin Burnes headed for free agency, the Baltimore Orioles need a backup plan for 2025. Could they make a run at reigning Cy Young winner Blake Snell?
In an August 20 column ranking top-10 landing spots for the pending free agent, Zachary D. Rymer ranked Baltimore seventh.
“The Orioles took a look at Snell ahead of the trade deadline, and it doesn’t take much to imagine them doing it again if they can’t re-sign Corbin Burnes,” Rymer wrote. “Yet if David Rubenstein is willing to spend that kind of money, he’s better off putting it into extensions for the club’s core stars.”
Snell is amid his ninth MLB campaign, and since returning from injury, he’s been pitching some of his best baseball to date.
The 31-year-old has pitched 52.1 innings since the start of July, spanning 8 appearances and a 6-2 record for the San Francisco Giants. Snell’s struck out 70 of his 187 batters faced in that span, and dropped his ERA on the year from 7.85 to 3.67.
A two-time Cy Young winner, Snell has a $38.5 million player option for the 2025 season. Should he decline it, the Orioles could set up a meeting with the righty to establish a potential Burnes replacement.
Corbin Burnes’ Free Agency Has Implications On Blake Snell
Burnes has been a revelation in Baltimore. Not because he’s pitched any differently, but because it’s been so long since the Orioles had a true ace on the mound.
Through 153.2 innings pitched, Burnes has a 3.10 ERA this season. He’s struck out 144 batters and walked only 38.
In an August 12 column for The Athletic, Jim Bowden ranked the 29-year-old as the second-best talent in the 2024 free agency class.
“Corbin Burnes won the National League Cy Young Award with the Brewers in 2021 and now has a chance to join the shortlist of pitchers who have won a Cy Young in both leagues,” Bowden wrote. “He’s in a close race for the AL honor with the Tigers’ Tarik Skubal. Burnes will be the most sought-after pitcher in this free-agent class.”
Juan Soto will headline the class, but Burnes could enter free agency as the best available pitcher. Spotrac says his market value is within the realm of a seven-year deal worth $215 million.
Baltimore’s been so bad for so long that the idea of them spending $215 million on a pitcher incites pessimism from the fanbase. For reference, their 2024 payroll is only $107.7 million. That’s 22nd in MLB.
Whether the Orioles or elsewhere, teams will keep tabs on Burnes. And with that, could push Snell down the priority list if they feel they have a shot at Baltimore’s ace.
Orioles Pitching Rotation Takes Another Hit
The Orioles swapped two starters and relievers on August 20, when they placed Zach Eflin on the 15-Day Injured List with right shoulder inflammation.
We have made the following roster moves:
Eflin has been Baltimore’s best starter since arriving at the trade deadline. He’s undefeated through four starts, having struck out 25 of 102 batters faced, and boasting a 2.13 ERA in that span.
He also makes for a fifth member of the Orioles’ starting rotation sidelined with injury. Kyle Bradish and John Means (Tommy John surgery), Tyler Wells (elbow surgery), and Grayson Rodriguez (lat strain) are all out as well.
Rodriguez is the only of the four expected back this season. Brandon Hyde told reporters it should be a short absence for Eflin.
“We’re optimistic that he’s gonna be able to not miss much time after the IL, if any,” Hyde told reporters, according to Roch Kubatko. “But yeah, it’s a big loss. He’s pitched great for us, but hopefully we’ll have him in September.”
Baltimore is 73-53. With 36 games remaining, they’re a half-game back of the New York Yankees in the AL East.
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Orioles Tabbed Among Landing Spots for $62 Million Ace