Orioles sound like they’re waving white flag with Corbin Burnes
The Baltimore Orioles seem prepared to lose standout starting pitcher Corbin Burnes to free agency this offseason.
Corbin Burnes joined the Baltimore Orioles for a good time, not a long time — or so it sounds that way.
Recent intel from The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal suggests the Orioles are in the market for a “top-end starter,” like free-agent left-hander Blake Snell ($). However, the club’s interests are ostensibly tied to and in preparation for Burnes’ departures.
Per Rosenthal, the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers are in talks with Burnes and All-Star hurler Max Fried. Knowing they’re ill-equipped for a bidding war and needing to ‘replace’ the former, Baltimore’s pursuit of Snell is a virtual admission of defeat.
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Orioles seem prepared to cut their losses with Corbin Burnes
With ‘the blessing of their new ownership,’ the Orioles front office is scouring for viable and presumably more cost-effective Burnes alternatives. While they’d conceivably like to retain the 2021 NL Cy Young winner, his being a one-year rental was always a potential outcome. Baltimore understood this when they acquired him from the Milwaukee Brewers last offseason, especially considering it was baked into his trade value.
