The 2024 MLB trade deadline has come and gone, and transactions between teams are suspended until the season ends. But it's never too early to speculate on teams' free agency aspirations.
Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report kicked off the speculation quickly after deadline day passed. He has a prediction Boston Red Sox fans will love.
Corbin Burnes was traded to the Baltimore Orioles from the Milwaukee Brewers as one of the biggest moves of the 2023-24 offseason. Burnes is on an expiring contract, and the Brewers successfully secured a return for him rather than waiting out the remainder of his deal.
It's widely believed that the Orioles won't be able to sign Burnes to the long-term deal he'll likely seek as a free agent. But Rymer believes the Red Sox may be the ones to sign the four-time All-Star and Cy Young winner.
Bleacher Report names Red Sox as top contender for impending free agent Corbin Burnes
The @Orioles' Corbin Burnes has pitched at least five innings while allowing four runs or fewer and not hitting a single batter in each of his 21 games this season.
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) July 30, 2024
It is the longest streak by any MLB pitcher to start a season in the modern era (since 1901). pic.twitter.com/cXC6B7VYXq
Burnes has posted a 2.47 ERA with 128 strikeouts and 33 walks in 138.2 innings with Baltimore. He's been one of the most elite pitchers in MLB since his 2021 campaign and carries a 90th-percentile chase rate and a league-best pitching run value. The righty won the National League Cy Young award in 2021 with a 2.43 ERA — just a few points below his current metric.
Rymer predicts that some of the usual big-spending suspects will only be minimally involved in negotiations for Burnes' services. The Dodgers have two incredibly expensive aces in Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani lined up for their rotation next season. The Yankees have Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón for years, and they plan to be top contenders for Juan Soto's legendary impending contract.
The Red Sox have posted multiple unimpressive free agencies in a row and it's time for them to begin building around their young core of prospects who are nearing MLB readiness. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has voiced his commitment to improving Boston's pitching, and signing Burnes would set the squad up for years. Nick Pivetta is an impending free agent and Garrett Whitlock will be on the shelf until the middle of next season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery — the Sox's rotation will need bolstering, and Burnes would be one of the best options available.