With Burnes’ departure, Orioles must look elsewhere for a No. 1 starter

It seemed possible that the Orioles would re-sign Corbin Burnes, their best starter in more than 20 years, to a large contract extension. Early Saturday morning, word came that the Orioles would have to look elsewhere for a No. 1 starter when Burnes reached an agreement with the Arizona Diamondbacks on a six-year, $210 million deal, which includes an opt-out after the 2026 season.

The deal was reported by The New York Post and confirmed by an industry source.

The Orioles traded for Burnes, knowing that he would be a free agent after the 2024 season. He was excellent, posting a 15-9 record and a 2.92 ERA in 32 starts.

For weeks, there were reports that Boston, San Francisco and Toronto had made offers to Burnes, and that the Orioles had, too. Arizona was a surprise, and often Scott Boras, Burnes’ agent, has been able to add a previously unreported team to the bidding.

That was again the case.

The Orioles have Grayson Rodriguez, Zach Eflin, Dean Kremer, Cade Povich and the recently signed 35-year-old Japanese right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano in their mix as possible starters in 2025.

They also have Albert Suárez, who provided vital starts last season, rookies Chayce McDermott and Brandon Young, and  Trevor Rogers, whom they acquired last season from Miami.

The rotation lacks a true No.1.

There are still a few quality starters on the free-agent market, including Jack Flaherty, who pitched for the Orioles in the last two months of the 2023 season.

There’s also Boston’s Nick Pivetta, a 31-year-old right-hander who is 8-3 with a 3.19 ERA in 14 starts against the Orioles, but signing him would require them to surrender a draft choice.

They will get a draft choice from the Diamondbacks for losing Burnes, to whom they had attached a one-year, $21.05 million qualifying offer. They might also get another one if outfielder Anthony Santander signs with a new club.

Beyond Flaherty and Pivetta, the free-agent market features a combination of older veterans — Kyle Gibson, Charlie Morton, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander — and less accomplished pitchers such as Patrick Corbin, Andrew Heaney and José Quintana.

They’ll also explore the trade market, which reportedly includes San Diego’s Dylan Cease, Seattle’s Luis Castillo and Pittsburgh’s Mitch Keller.

The Orioles could hope to sign Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki to a contract early in 2025, but they’re competing against the other 29 teams, all of whom can offer about the same amount of money.

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