How he got here: Acquired from the Brewers for left-handed pitcher DL Hall, infield prospect Joey Ortiz, and a 2024 Competitive Balance Round A draft pick (#34 overall), 2/1/24
Fans in Baltimore have begged and pleaded for a rotation ace ever since Mike Mussina left after the 2000 season. High end talent has roamed the clubhouse in the form of Jake Arrieta and Kevin Gausman, but it never truly clicked for them in the Charm City. Instead, staffs through the years have been led by solid arms like Chris Tillman, Jeremy Guthrie, and Rodrigo López. Steady contributors all, but a clear step below the elite at their position.
Heading into this past offseason, Orioles GM Mike Elias was transparent in saying that he wanted to add a top-tier arm. Months of rumors followed. The O’s were said to be talks with the White Sox for Dylan Cease or the Marlins for Jesús Luzardo. It seemed they were only interested in players with years of control remaining. Any pending free agent was off the table.
Then, out of nowhere, it was reported that the Orioles had made a deal. It wasn’t one of the long-rumored connections, and it wasn’t a player with years of control, but it was unquestionably an ace. The Orioles had added Corbin Burnes.
Burnes comes to Baltimore with a pedigree unfamiliar in these parts. He has finished in the top 10 of NL Cy Young voting in each of the last four seasons. That includes a 2021 campaign in which he won the award while leading the senior circuit with a 2.43 ERA, 1.63 FIP, and 12.6 strikeouts per nine innings.
His final numbers from last year weren’t as eye-popping as he had grown accustomed to, but they were still very good. Over 193.2 innings, he had a 3.39 ERA, struck out 200, and led the NL with a 1.069 WHIP.
Some context that may or may not matter this year: Burnes pitched much better on the road (2.77 ERA, 0.968 WHIP) than in Milwaukee (4.28 ERA, 1.213 WHIP). That was a continuation—albeit more severe in 2023—of what he has done throughout his career. He owns a 3.65 career home ERA and a 2.88 ERA away.
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