SF Giants have a secret weapon they just acquired to help recruit Corbin Burnes

Out of the remaining free agents, Corbin Burnes is undoubtedly the top option. Burnes shined this past season with the Baltimore Orioles, where he finished third in the AL Cy Young Award voting and helped the team make it into the playoffs. For teams in need of an ace, Burnes is the top option on the open market.

One team that is heavily linked to Burnes is the San Francisco Giants, a team that has swung big for top free agents in the past, but missed out. Whether it's a player opting to play elsewhere, or in Carlos Correa's case, a failed physical. But the Giants may have an advantage, as recent reports indicated that Burnes could have a preference to play on the West Coast, as he is a California native. It seems the Giants may have some help to convince Burnes to sign.

The Giants nabbed their first big-name free agent in quite some time by signing shortstop Willy Adames to a seven-year, $182 million contract. Well, it just so happens that Adames was a teammate with Burnes during their time together with the Milwaukee Brewers. During his introductory press conference, Adames said he was going to give a call to Burnes to recruit him to San Francisco.

"I haven't talked to him, but I will definitely give him a call after today," Adames said, h/t MLB.com's Maria Guardado. "Obviously, you always want a guy like him. You're always going to have guys who are going to compete out there for you. And having a guy like that would be such an amazing addition. That's something that is not in my hands, and obviously, there's a lot of work to do for that. But I will give him a call later."

Willy Adames said he plans to recruit Corbin Burnes to Giants

The Adames signing may have paid more dividends than initially anticipated. Sure, Adames is coming off of a career year and slots in at shortstop to lock in a solid left side of the infield alongside third baseman Matt Chapman. But if the Giants are able to land Burnes, give the assist to Adames.

Burnes and Adames had been teammates on the Brewers since the 2021 season after the infielder was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays. During their time together in Milwaukee, the Brewers won two NL Central titles, while Burnes won a NL Cy Young Award (2021) and made it to the All-Star Game three consecutive seasons. Unfortunately for the duo, they never won a playoff series together.

The Giants have to contend in what is a tough NL West division. The Dodgers just won a World Series, and found a way to steal Blake Snell away from the Giants on a five-year, $182 million contract. San Francisco has a void at the top of the rotation now, and Burnes would easily slot into that spot.

This past season, Burnes recorded a 2.92 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP, a 15-9 win-loss record, 181 strikeouts, and 48 walks in 194.1 innings (32 starts).

We'll see if the Giants are able to get to the finish line to sign Burnes, or if the ace will choose to sign elsewhere this winter.