D-backs’ inherent advantage leads to signing Corbin Burnes

PHOENIX — Last year became really difficult for new Diamondbacks ace Corbin Burnes, although not necessarily on the mound.

Burnes was great yet again in his first season with the Orioles, pitching to a 2.92 ERA and helping Baltimore make the postseason. What weighed on him was the distance between Baltimore and his home in the Valley.

He and his wife, Brooke, moved to Arizona after the 2018 season while he pitched for the Brewers, whose spring training is in Phoenix. Milwaukee dealt the 2021 Cy Young winner to the Baltimore before his walk year in 2024.

Burnes had to take an overnight flight from Baltimore to Phoenix for the birth of his twin daughters in June and made several trips back to Arizona after starts, according to his agent Scott Boras.

“Corbin had to pitch and then fly all night, and he called me at 2:30 in the morning saying the jet had dysfunction, Brooke was delivering at seven o’clock in the morning and he was in Colorado Springs,” Boras said at the pitcher’s introductory press conference on Wednesday. “He’s had some trying moments. He made it there on time, I might add. For the Burnes family, it’s been quite a six months.”

Spending so much time away from his three young children was not something Burnes wanted to do again, which propelled his decision to sign with his hometown team.

The 30-year-old entered free agency as the top starting pitcher on the market with many clubs interested. Boras visited the Burnes family at the start of free agency and went back just before Christmas. At that time, their wishes were obvious to him.

“I gotta really make an effort … it’s kind of hard to go to a player and say, ‘Let me do the best to help you make less,'” Boras joked.

“With twins being born in June, son is getting ready to turn three, just kind of this stage of life we’re in, to be able to spend the most time with them that I can was crucial,” Burnes said. “Getting to wake up and take my son to school here in a couple years is a lot better than having to facetime him in the morning saying, ‘Have a good day at school.’ So for me, that was a big piece of it.”

So, Burnes’ camp made a move.

The timing was a bit unique. Boras called and asked if the D-backs would be interested, and Kendrick had to say, “I’ll get back to you.” General manager Mike Hazen was in New Zealand with his sons, assistant GM Amiel Sawdaye was in France and team president Derrick Hall had been traveling stateside, so Kendrick had to get in touch with the team.

The D-backs had not anticipated courting a top-end starting pitcher in free agency. And yet, within a week, an agreement was reached. Burnes signed a six-year deal worth $210 million with an opt-out after the second year.

“It was a dream scenario,” Burnes said.

Diamondbacks flex their Arizona advantage

In the end, the D-backs ran with their inherent advantage over the rest of the league and have a much better chance to compete in 2025 because of it.

Many players live in Arizona during the offseason. Many others who enter free agency have young families.

The D-backs are the only club with spring training in such close proximity to their home ballpark, where players can live in one location year-round.

Kendrick pointed to Arizona’s success last offseason. Starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez previously vetoed a midseason trade from Detroit to Los Angeles because of the impacts on his family, and joining the D-backs gave him the opportunity to settle down in one spot. Randal Grichuk was a free agent into spring training who lived in Arizona and jumped at the opportunity to play in his hometown.

Now, as Kendrick and Hazen both pointed out, players are not going to start taking half in order to play for the D-backs.

“If there are any of those, I want to know who they are,” Kendrick chuckled. But there is and has been the opportunity to sell players on the arrangement Burnes took up.

“We sell it, we hype it up, we talk about all the advantages for a player from a comfort standpoint, especially with a lot of these guys that have young families, it’s a unique situation,” Hazen told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo. “We haven’t been entirely successful doing it. There’s other advantages. We try to get the players we signed to long-term contracts to move here. Our young players, when they break in and we know they’re going to be here for a while, we encourage them to buy a house here because we want our team here. That helps with free agents all across the board.

“In the free agent world, you have to match the dollars up. Players aren’t just coming here because it’s Arizona. We have to be somewhat close, especially of players at this caliber.”

Corbin Burnes believes Diamondbacks can win a lot of games

Now, family may be the primary reason Burnes chose the D-backs, but he’s a competitor. He wants to win and sees a path in Arizona.

Burnes has pitched in the postseason three of the last four years, and he has yet to reach the World Series. He pitched Game 1 of the 2023 NL Wild Card Series against the D-backs and experienced the first steps in their pennant run.

He explained that in 2023, he started to realize the direction the D-backs were going.

“This is a really good baseball team, young baseball team, so it’s got many years of winning ahead,” Burnes said. “Part of the the reason of looking at the Diamondbacks and some other teams was I want to come in, I want to win. I want to win the entire time I’m here. This is a team that’s built do that.”

New D-backs pitcher Corbin Burnes gives @BurnsAndGambo his thoughts on joining a stacked rotation.

"I think this is a team primed to have another long run." pic.twitter.com/OUqirlr9hf

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) January 15, 2025

Burnes joins a stacked starting pitching group, one in which there is uncertainty which five will crack the rotation. Hazen joked Burnes would be in there, that’s for sure.

Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Rodriguez, Jordan Montgomery, Brandon Pfaadt and Ryne Nelson join him on the roster.

Boras said he’s never heard Gallen as excited as when he told his fellow client Burnes was joining the team. And Burnes said Gallen was the first teammate to reach out.

“I’ve been fortunate in my seven years in the big leagues, of being in the postseason in six of them,” Burnes said. “For me, postseason baseball is what I know and want to be a part of every year.”

Corbin Burnes' agent, Scott Boras, is also Zac Gallen's agent.

"When I called Zac to tell him I was joining Corbin, I probably have never have heard him more excited," Boras said.

"I've heard it from so many other teams, that Arizona is now a subject of concern, a real subject… pic.twitter.com/9C1xXf4ibE

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) January 15, 2025

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