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Over the offseason, Baltimore Orioles ace Corbin Burnes was the most sought-after pitcher on the market. The righty has been one of the best arms in the game for a few years now.
After some rumors and rumblings, Burnes landed with the Arizona Diamondbacks in a shocking turn of events.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today recently revealed Burnes' free agency sweepstakes wasn't nearly the spectacle it was made out to be in the offseason. In fact, it seems as though the Diamondbacks were the clear top choice for the righty.
"There were supposed to be at least two or three teams that made larger offers to Burnes before he decided to stay home and sign with the Diamondbacks," Nightengale wrote. "Well, as it turns out, no one made a higher offer to Burnes. The Orioles stopped at $180 million. The Blue Jays' offer was not only low, but was 75% deferred, which Burnes never took seriously. The San Francisco Giants' pursuit of Burnes stopped before it really got started."
"This," Burnes says, via Nightengale, "was by far the best offer that we had."
To find out the Orioles weren't willing to eclipse the $200 million mark is a bit surprising, especially considering how depleted their pitching staff is this season. Baltimore might watch its season go down the drain because of the pitching staff, yet it let one of the best pitchers in the league walk away in free agency.
It's also shocking to find out the Giants, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, and New York Yankees never came close to landing him.
As shocking as it was at the time, Burnes' decision to sign with the Diamondbacks seems like it was an easy one. And it was definitely the right one.
More MLB: Luis Severino Reveals What Led To Split With Loaded Mets In Free Agency
About the writer
Zach Pressnell is a Newsweek contributor based in Columbus, Ohio. His focus is MLB content. He has an extensive knowledge ... Read more