The Giants have already been linked to some outstanding free brokers this winter, and it seems as if Corbin Burnes is one other identify on the membership’s record of targets. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand writes that the Giants “are believed to have vital curiosity in Burnes,” and thus San Francisco joins the Blue Jays, Crimson Sox, Yankees, and Burnes’ former crew the Orioles as golf equipment recognized to be pursuing the right-hander to a point.
MLBTR initiatives Burnes to land a seven-year, $200MM deal as the highest pitcher on the free agent market, and signing the hurler at such a worth can be a captivating transfer for a Giants membership that’s reportedly trying to cut back payroll. The Giants’ Opening Day payroll final season was roughly $208.1MM (as per Cot’s Baseball Contracts) they usually at the moment have round $182.2MM on the books for 2025 based on RosterResource’s calculations. Buying and selling any of Mike Yastrzemski, Camilo Doval, LaMonte Wade Jr., Taylor Rogers or Tyler Rogers would unlock some extra money, however because it stands proper now, inking Burnes for one thing within the ballpark of a $28.5MM common annual worth would alone deliver San Francisco principally proper again to its 2024 payroll.
That stated, the Giants haven’t essentially been performing like a crew that’s planning on restricted spending. San Francisco has proven curiosity in two of the offseason’s bigger-name free brokers in Willy Adames and now Burnes, plus the Giants had no less than a check-in on Juan Soto’s market. Ha-Seong Kim and Tomoyuki Sugano are two different notables on the crew’s radar, amongst less-pricey choices. And, after all, the Giants already made a giant spending splurge earlier than free company even opened by holding Matt Chapman off the market with a six-year, $151MM extension.
Buster Posey was reportedly closely concerned within the Chapman negotiations even earlier than changing into the crew’s new president of baseball operations, and people efforts to retain a outstanding star seemingly indicated that Posey’s entrance workplace was ready to take a extra aggressive stance in attempting to land top-shelf expertise. Signing a Burnes or an Adames would lastly put to relaxation the narrative that the group is unable to draw star free brokers, although it stays to be seen if these forays into the highest of the 2024-25 free agent market are something greater than due diligence, if Giants possession does wish to restrict spending.
Burnes has some West Coast ties, as he hails from Bakersfield, California and he performed school ball at Saint Mary’s School of California in Moraga (about 40 minutes away from San Francisco). From a purely on-field perspective, there’s additionally a pure match — Burnes would step proper into Blake Snell’s sneakers as the brand new ace, teaming with Logan Webb to turn out to be one of many sport’s higher one-two rotation punches. Kyle Harrison and Robbie Ray would every transfer a slot down within the rotation order, and San Francisco would acquire some flexibility in deciding what to do with the fifth starter’s job. Any of Landen Roupp, Hayden Birdsong, Mason Black, Keaton Winn, or prime prospect Carson Whisenhunt might compete for the job in Spring Coaching, or Jordan Hicks might be given one other shot at a beginning position if the Giants don’t wish to simply hold him within the bullpen.
Since San Francisco exceeded the luxurious tax threshold final season, they might pay a further penalty for signing Burnes or any free agent that rejected a qualifying provide. The Giants must surrender $1MM of funds from their worldwide signing bonus pool, and likewise their second- and fifth-highest alternatives within the 2025 draft. The membership already gave up two picks (their second- and third-rounders) within the 2024 draft to signal Snell and Chapman final winter, as each gamers rejected qualifying affords earlier than coming into free company.
