Corbin Burnes chase has a new favorite that would give him chance at Brewers revenge

Corbin Burnes is the top starting pitcher remaining on the free-agent market, The four-time All-Star and former Cy Young winner is expected to make more than $245 million when all is said and done, and the demand for starting pitching has only increased his asking price. Now that Garrett Crochet is off the board, there is no telling where Burnes will end up.

The early guess was the AL East. The Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays all needed starting pitching. Burnes just spent a season in Baltimore, which has new ownership, so one would expect the O's to at least make an offer. However, the Orioles haven't done nearly enough to keep Burnes in the building. The Red Sox traded for Garrett Crochet and now must extend him. The Yankees signed Max Fried.

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San Francisco Giants considered favorites for Corbin Burnes

The Blue Jays remain an intriguing option, but they are not considered the favorite. That title belongs to the San Francisco Giants out west.

So far during the Winter Meetings, more than $1.3 billion has been spent on free-agent contracts. Burnes could add to that total quite easily, with Buster Posey eager to make another big splash during his first offseason in charge by the Bay. The Giants already signed Willy Adames prior to the Winter Meetings.

Signing with the Giants doesn't look appetizing on paper. The money is ideal, of course, but the NL West is loaded with talented teams like the Dodgers, Padres and Diamondbacks. Los Angeles just won a World Series and is only getting better. If Burnes is about winning and winning alone, the Giants offer the path of most resistance.

Corbin Burnes has a chance at revenge against Brewers

The last time Burnes pitched in the National League was as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers, a tenure which did not end well. Don't get me wrong, Burnes loved his time pitching in front of Brewers fans. The ownership group and front office did not treat him well, though, and the arbitration hearings were harsh.

“There’s no denying that the relationship was definitely hurt from what (transpired) over the last couple weeks. There’s really no way to get around that,” Burnes said at the time. “When some of the things that are said … they basically put me in the forefront of the reason why we didn’t make the postseason last year. That’s something that probably didn’t need to be said.”

The public media beef made the relationship irreparable, and the Brewers moved on by trading Burnes for what they could last winter. While the Giants and Brewers wouldn't play in the same division, they'd compete for the same pennant, and play against one another more often.

It's certainly worth keeping an eye on as an in-season storyline.