5 teams that should give Corbin Burnes enough money to leave Baltimore

The Baltimore Orioles acquired Corbin Burnes from the Milwaukee Brewers in a blockbuster offseason trade, addressing their most pressing weakness by adding one of the sharpest arms in baseball. So far, the results have been utterly spectacular. Burnes started the All-Star Game for the American League. Through 19 starts and 118.2 innings, he has a 2.43 ERA and 110 strikeouts.

In terms of productivity and consistency, few MLB pitchers have matched Burnes over the last few years. He has finished top-10 in Cy Young voting each of the last four seasons (he won the award in 2021) and he's on track for a five straight, with the potential to challenge Detroit Tigers maestro Tarik Skubal for the crown as team success becomes more of a voting factor down the stretch.

Burnes is exactly what last season's Orioles squad was missing, and there's every reason to believe the 29-year-old has enjoyed his time pitching for such a dominant offensive group. The O's are among the favorites, if not the favorites to emerge from the American League and potentially win the World Series this fall.

And yet, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic recently went on 'Foul Territory' to proclaim that Burnes "is not coming back" next season. It's rare for reporters to speak in absolutes without something to back it up. Burnes is due for a contract potentially in excess of $200 million, which could fall outside the Orioles' price range — even with new ownership. For all we know, Burnes has already begun thinking about potential new homes.

That said, front offices league-wide should be circling the wagons and locating the necessary funds to pry one of baseball's most dominant aces away from the first-place O's. Here are a few logical landing spots with the financial wherwithal to snatch Burnes out of Baltimore.

5. Los Angeles Angels

Outside the box, sure, but the Los Angeles Angels were frequently mentioned as potential suitors for Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery last offseason. This has been a dreadful campaign for the Halos, and Ron Washington could hit the road sooner than expected as a result. Another Mike Trout injury has the vibes at an all-time low, and of course, the Angels didn't do nearly enough to fill the massive void left by Shohei Ohtani's departure.

Veteran Tyler Anderson has been rock-solid atop the Angels' rotation, but the 34-year-old comes off the books after the 2025 campaign and he's not a sustainable building block. Pitching has long been a point of weakness for this Los Angeles team and, most importantly, the Angels are flush with cash. This is a front office and an ownership group that is willing to put serious long-term money on the line. Few investments are more sound than Burnes right now.

It would take more than Burnes to transform this Angels squad from a basement-dweller to a contender, but the Angels are running out of time to make something happen during Trout's historic tenure with the club. All these individual accolades will feel somewhat hollow if Trout is never able to truly contend. Obviously, he needs to stay healthy — and that's largely out of his control — but the clock is ticking on the Angels. If Ron Washington is on the hot seat, as Ken Rosenthal suspects, it is because Los Angeles expected more out of this season.

Whether those expectations are justified or not, contending is a state of mind. If the Angels gun for it, Burnes is an obvious target, and a nice use of Ohtani's vacant salary slot.

4. Los Angeles Dodgers

Look, we cannot sidestep the Los Angeles Dodgers in any conversation about a coveted free agent. It's a fact of life. The Dodgers front office has a blank check from ownership and the motivation to spend it. Shohei Ohtani is a walking, swinging, pitching cash cow, which means Los Angeles will only spend more aggressively during his decade-long tenure with the franchise. Also, folks want to put on Dodgers blue and spend their offseasons in the City of Angels — er, Dodgers. Another unfortunate, but immutable fact of life.

As such, of course Corbin Burnes is on the Dodgers' radar. It's an appealing setup. He gets to pitch alongside at least three All-Star level aces in Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Shohei Ohtani, who should be back to two-way stardom in 2025. He gets a nice hunk of cash, a warm environment to enjoy with family, and a loaded offense to back him up. The Dodgers will almost always outpace the rest of the MLB in terms of star-power. The allure is undeniable, especially when we mere mortals in the baseball fandom come to terms with the fact that most players aren't keen to rough it in small markets for the purity of the sport. Winning, money, and marketing are primary motivators for most free agents.

The Dodgers would continue their absurd spending spree, cementing their claim as favorites in the National League. This season is a bit of a toss-up — the Phils and Braves offer real competition — but with Burnes, the Dodgers would start to feel inevitable. Aside from injuries, not much would stand in Los Angeles' way.

Burnes also grew up a two hours drive from Los Angeles in Bakersfield, California, For both the Angels and Dodgers, that feels like a noteworthy factoid. A $200-300 million contract and the comforts of home? Not much can top that.

3. Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies are another team always in the mix for top free agents. Despite their wealth of quality arms, Philadelphia presented Yoshinobu Yamamoto with the most lucrative offer of any team last winter. He chose the comforts of LA and the west coast, which is perhaps Philadelphia's greatest obstacle here. But the Phillies are unafraid to get bold.

There were unique factors with Yamamoto, as the Phillies are attempting to broaden their horizons on the international scouting front. There would have been symbolic weight to landing a Japanese superstar of Yamamoto's stature. Burnes is a Cali kid. Not quite the same for global outreach purposes. Still, if the Phillies want to win at the highest level, Burnes helps.

Just imagine confronting the National League gauntlet with Corbin Burnes, Zack Wheeler, Ranger Suarez, Aaron Nola, and Cristopher Sanchez. That is the best five-man rotation in a minute. The Phils have Andrew Painter on the come-up, a pretty expensive Taijuan Walker, and even the quality efforts of Spencer Turnbull to consider. Maybe this is wishful thinking, a complete impossibility. Or, maybe it's another masterstroke in the waiting from Dave Dombrowski. Because why not stockpile elite pitching?

There are avenues to clearing roster space. Painter can be traded, probably for a high-level outfielder. The Phils can rethink the Taijuan Walker experience. Turnbull is a reliever at heart. There's room for Burnes if the Phillies want to make it. And man, what a thought.

2. New York Mets

The New York Mets took a calculated step back this season while broadcasting a desire to contend aggressively in 2025. The first half of the plan didn't exactly pan out — New York is actually better than a season ago — but that only sets up David Stearns, Steve Cohen, and the front office for a proper all-out push in the offseason. If the Mets are already on the right track, why not use the deepest pockets in baseball to accelerate this "retool"?

Pete Alonso stands out as a free agent of consequence. He loves the Mets and the Mets love him, but is he worth the contract he's about to get? Maybe not. Juan Soto is a popular target in the Mets fandom. Prying him away from the Yankees would be a real flex. Both those guys will cost a lot of money, though. If the Mets allocate $500 million-plus to Soto, it could become difficult to hand another $200 million-plus to Burnes.

But, with Jose Quintana, Luis Severino, and Sean Manaea all slated for free agency at season's end, the Mets are going to be rebuilding the rotation almost from scratch. Kodai Senga is a legitimate ace, but he's best when paired with another elite arm. Burnes gives New York a bankable No. 1 starter for the next 5-10 years and shores up any lingering concerns about their ability to field a postseason-worthy bullpen.

This is the big splash the Mets are primed and waiting for. Other splashy pursuits could push Burnes in another direction, but if New York operates with the proper level of aggression when pursuing Burnes, there is a definite path to landing the perennial Cy Young candidate in Queens.

1. New York Yankees

The New York Yankees are right on the Orioles' heels in the American League. Swiping their best pitcher would probably help their cause. New York was a player for Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto last offseason. Marcus Stroman was the ultimate prize, and he's been fine. Luis Gil, meanwhile, looks like a star and a building block. Still, the Yankees would love to pair an established, Cy Young-level ace next to Gerrit Cole.

We don't really need to run down the list of why Burnes might pick the Yankees. It's the Yankees. There's a certain historic precedent for spending time in pinstripes. So many all-time greats have come through the Bronx. Burnes gets the platform inherent to Yankees baseball and a clear path to contention.

The financial implications could get tricky. Hal Steinbrenner has talked about the "unsustainable" nature of the Yanks' current payroll. That sounds like hogwash — you're the New York freakin' Yankees! — but owners are going to act like owners. If New York is worried about the payroll now, trying to re-sign Juan Soto and add Corbin Burnes could be too rich for their taste.

That would be unfortunate for the Yankees fandom and a relief for the rest of the league. It's not as fun for the collective when New York gets its way. At the same time, we can never count the Yankees out when the true showstoppers become available. Burnes is a needle-mover, one of the best pitchers in recent history, and a no-brainer target for the Yanks.