The Giants have already been linked to some distinguished free brokers this winter, and it seems as if Corbin Burnes is one other identify on the membership’s checklist 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, Purple Sox, Yankees and Burnes’ former group the Orioles as golf equipment identified to be pursuing the right-hander to a point.
MLBTR initiatives Burnes to land a seven-year, $200M deal as the highest pitcher on the free-agent market, and signing the hurler at such a value can be an enchanting transfer for a Giants membership that’s reportedly trying to scale back payroll. The Giants’ Opening Day payroll final season was roughly $208.1M (as per Cot’s Baseball Contracts), they usually presently have round $182.2M 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 liberate some extra money, however because it stands proper now, inking Burnes for one thing within the ballpark of a $28.5M common annual worth would alone deliver San Francisco principally proper again to its 2024 payroll.
That mentioned, the Giants haven’t essentially been performing like a group 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 at the very least a check-in on Juan Soto’s market. Ha-Seong Kim and Tomoyuki Sugano are two different notables on the group’s radar, amongst less-pricey choices. And, in fact, the Giants already made an enormous spending splurge earlier than free company even opened by maintaining Matt Chapman off the market with a six-year, $151M extension.
Buster Posey was reportedly closely concerned within the Chapman negotiations even earlier than turning into the group’s new president of baseball operations, and people efforts to retain a distinguished 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 Faculty 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 develop into one of many recreation’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 high prospect Carson Whisenhunt might compete for the job in spring coaching, or Jordan Hicks could possibly 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 luxury-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 quit $1M of funds from their worldwide signing bonus pool, and in addition 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 presents earlier than getting into free company.
