The Baltimore Orioles are desperate to bring home their first World Series title since 1983. That’s one reason they signed pitcher Corbin Burnes in the offseason.
The move paid off and Burnes is a hot candidate for his second Cy Young Award. However, it will also be difficult to keep him in the offseason.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic, a former major league general manager, recently released his top 50 free agent rankings and the right-hander was No. 2 on the list. The only player ahead of him was New York Yankees slugger Juan Soto.
In 25 starts this season, Burnes is 12-5 with a 3.10 ERA. He has 144 strikeouts and 38 walks in 153.2 innings. The 29-year-old has yet to miss a rotation appearance and is poised to set a career high for wins with a month to go, the 12 games he has won in 2022.
He was named the starter for the American League in the All-Star Game, the first time he received that honor and his fourth consecutive appearance.
Bowden simply wrote: “Burnes will be the most sought-after pitcher in this free agent class.”
When the Orioles signed Burnes, they knew he would be eligible to become a free agent after the season. Keeping Burnes could be the first big challenge for new owner David Rubenstein, who took over in March. He now owns the franchise outright and fans are hoping he will spend more money than the previous owners, the Angelos family.
At the beginning of the year he spoke to the New York Post about what he expects from free agents. He didn’t talk about money. He talked about fighting for titles.
“I want to move to a team that will compete for the entire duration of my contract,” he said.
Baltimore has one of the best lineups in the game, led by potential MVP candidate Gunnar Henderson and All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman. Along with experienced outfielders like Anthony Santander and Cedric Mullins, young players like Jackson Holliday, Ryan Mountcastle and Colton Cowser give the O’s a quality boost on offense.
With Milwaukee, he went 45-27 with a 3.26 ERA in six seasons. He made three All-Star appearances and won the 2021 National League Cy Young Award with an 11-5 record and an MLB-leading 2.43 ERA.
