The Los Angeles Dodgers have reportedly reached a blockbuster agreement with four-time All-Star pitcher Corbin Burnes, signing him to a seven-year deal worth $210 million. This contract reflects Burnes’ status as one of the most consistent and durable starters in Major League Baseball. Burnes, a former Cy Young Award winner, posted a strong 2024 season with the Baltimore Orioles, recording a 15-9 win-loss record, a 2.92 ERA, and 181 strikeouts over 194.1 innings pitched.
This move bolsters the Dodgers’ already formidable rotation, which includes star pitchers like Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani. It also helps the team maintain its competitive edge following its 2024 World Series appearance. Burnes’ signing marks a significant victory for the Dodgers, who outbid teams like the New York Yankees and Mets, both of which were also heavily involved in negotiations
The Los Angeles Dodgers are hoping for a repeat of 2024’s championship next season but could do without some of the obstacles to get there.
Even after adding Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and other impact starters to their staff, the team went into the playoffs with several crucial arms sidelined by injury and ultimately cobbled together their World Series run without a dominant rotation.
With Shohei Ohtani likely returning to the mound and their other frontline starters coming back healthy, the Dodgers can hope to avoid those rotation stresses next year without making any more blockbuster additions. But if they do make good on a prediction from Dayn Perry of CBS Sports, who sees L.A. as the landing spot for free-agent ace Corbin Burnes, they will add some serious pitching insurance.
“I don’t entirely buy that the Dodgers will be heavily in on Juan Soto, but I do think they’ll make a notable addition in the service of repeating as World Series champs,” Perry wrote. “They have some rotation uncertainties going into next year, and as the 2024 Dodgers acutely reminded us ‘rotation depth’ can be a fleeting thing. Burnes is an ace and about as much of a known quantity as a starting pitcher can be these days.”
After joining the Baltimore Orioles in a winter trade ahead of the 2024 season, Burnes went on to post his fourth-consecutive campaign with at least 28 starts. He maintained a 2.92 ERA with 181 strikeouts across 194.1 innings and earned his fourth career All-Star nod.
