PHOENIX – Scott Boras has been asserting this for some time now: Every franchise in Major League Baseball possesses the resources to contend in the free agent arena for the suitable player. Evidence of this was demonstrated this week when the Arizona Diamondbacks officially unveiled the acquisition of right-handed pitcher Corbin Burnes, signing him to a six-year, $210 million agreement.
The financial gamble is justified by the potential benefits, or at least that’s the impression Boras, the sport’s most recognized agent, instilled in the Diamondbacks.
“Skill at this tier is consistently a benefit of a franchise,” Boras remarked during a discussion this week at Chase Field. “You aspire to achieve great things and from a commercial perspective, you always aim to do something that boosts franchise value and enhances your team’s performance.”
For the D-backs, a mere two years after seizing the National League title, where there’s determination, there’s a pathway. Boras approached managing general partner Ken Kendrick with a player who resides in Arizona and has a desire to play there. Burnes was open to accepting a slightly lower salary to make this a reality.
Boras confirmed on Wednesday that the contract features an opt-out clause for Burnes following the second season as well as $75 million in deferred compensation should he complete the entire six years — $11 million to be disbursed at the conclusion of the contract in 2030, and the remaining $64 million spread from 2031 to 2036, as per contract data gathered by Spotrac.
The opt-out after two years held significant importance for Burnes, the 2021 NL Cy Young Award recipient with the Milwaukee Brewers, who at 30 years of age has pitched merely 903 2/3 innings and has not sustained an arm injury. He played last season with the Baltimore Orioles, finishing with a 15-9 record and a 2.92 earned run average.
“We needed that concession to gauge where the pitching market might stand in a couple of years,” Boras stated.
The deferred compensation was critical for Kendrick.
“From Ken’s perspective, he indicated, ‘This is necessary from our side.’ Corbin definitely concurred with that,” Boras noted.
The D-backs, in their current formation, are trying to maximize their brief opportunity while contending with the formidable defending World Series champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, in the fiercely competitive NL West. The Dodgers have been aggressively acquiring free agents this offseason, recently adding Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki on Friday.
The Dodgers initiated with Boras client pitcher Blake Snell for five years at $182 million and re-signed outfielder Teoscar Hernandez for three years, totaling $66 million, in addition to outfielder Tommy Edman for five years at $74 million, and they have continued their spree. Various reports on Sunday confirm they have secured closer Tanner Scott with a four-year, $72 million agreement.
Boras isn’t done yet. He negotiated the transfer of Juan Soto to the New York Mets for 15 years, totaling $765 million, and still has first baseman Pete Alonso and third baseman Alex Bregman available on the market.
The D-backs have previously allowed first baseman Christian Walker and designated hitter Joc Pederson to leave via free agency. Closer Paul Sewald and outfielder Randal Grichuk are also not anticipated to return. They have been seeking to trade pitcher Jordan Montgomery and his $22.5 million contract for this season but have yet to find any takers.
With Burnes’ $31.7 million for this season, the D-backs have reached a record franchise high of $177.2 million in player expenditures, with a projected payroll of $185.9 million once all contracts are finalized. For tax considerations, they stand at $203.5 million, ranking 11th in MLB, yet fourth in spending within their own division.
“We intend to compete, and the rivalry is certainly fierce in our division,” Kendrick stated in an interview. “I believe we possess the most formidable division in baseball today.”
When it comes to expenditure in the NL West, the Dodgers top the league with a payroll of $353.3 million for tax purposes thus far. The San Diego Padres follow at $233.5 million in fifth place. The San Francisco Giants are ninth with $205.3 million, just ahead of the Atlanta Braves and the D-backs.
The only outlier is the Colorado Rockies, placed 20th at $129.9 million, who have opted out of the spending frenzy.
“Consider how the teams have been assembled,” Kendrick remarked. “There’s probably no other division where four out of the five teams are as competitive.”
Looking closely, the Dodgers maintain their dominance. The Padres are experiencing ownership issues and have not made any noteworthy additions this offseason despite their defeat to the Dodgers in a five-game NL Division Series last October.
Under the new leadership of Buster Posey, the Giants have signed free agent shortstop Willy Adames to a record-setting seven-year, $182 million contract, along with veteran right-handed pitcher Justin Verlander for one year at $15 million, but have otherwise not made any significant moves, missing out on Burnes and Sasaki. Since 2016, the Giants have only qualified for the playoffs once, which has hampered their free agent pursuits, Posey noted.
“I believe the clear response is that we must improve our performance on the field moving forward, right?” he remarked on a local San Francisco radio station this week.
In the meantime, the D-backs lost the 2023 World Series to the Texas Rangers in five games, and during 2024, they missed the playoffs on the final day of the season after losing a three-way tie-breaker to the Mets and Braves, despite securing 89 victories.
The D-backs experienced an attendance increase at Chase Field of 380,694 last season compared to 2023, leading MLB, and while not providing an exact number, their local revenues reached a record high for the club, Kendrick remarked. According to valuations from Sportico, the D-backs ranked 16th in the league with $331 million in local revenues in 2023, a significant jump from $273 million in 2022. The franchise’s worth is $1.49 billion, markedly higher than the $130 million expansion fee Kendrick’s group paid to join the league in 1998.
The D-backs have consistently followed the practice of reinvesting any profits back into the franchise, as they have done previously by signing pitchers Zack Greinke, Madison Bumgarner, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Montgomery for substantial amounts.
They now have a potential starting rotation that could feature Burnes, Rodriguez, Montgomery, Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Brandon Pfaadt, and Ryan Nelson. It’s an abundance of talent.
“If you aim to win, investment is essential,” Kendrick emphasized.
This is how the Burnes contract was enabled and illustrates how a mid-tier team like the D-backs managed to accomplish it.
Image Source: Corbin Burnes @ Instagram
