Orioles left without an ace after Burnes’ departure

The reaction to Corbin Burnes’ departure was predictable. Many Oriole fans claimed to know this was going to happen all along because they knew Burnes wanted to play on the West Coast. Others said it proved the Orioles weren’t going to pay mega dollars for elite talent.

Burnes, whose reported deal for six years and $210 million with Arizona Diamondbacks includes an opt-out after two years, never indicated that he wanted to play in the West during his year with the Orioles, but it’s obvious that he did. The 30-year-old right-hander lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, close to Phoenix’s Chase Field. Even better for him, the Diamondbacks train in Scottsdale.

His wife gave birth to twin girls last summer, and Burnes doesn’t have to move his family for at least the next two years.

We don’t know what the Orioles’ offer for Burnes was, but assuming it wasn’t far off from what Arizona offered him, there was no way they could compete with a family and lifestyle choice.

More baseball players live in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia and Texas than in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Maryland, but the Mets, Yankees, Phillies and Red Sox are still able to compete for free agents, and I’m guessing the Orioles can as well.

However, when you’re the most in-demand starting pitcher in the free-agent market, and your agent, Scott Boras, is able to make a good deal so that you don’t have to move, I’d say it would have taken quite an effort from the Orioles to compete.

The Diamondbacks are a good team. They were in the World Series in 2023 and won 89 games in 2024. The National League West is a competitive division with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres finishing ahead of the D-Backs last season.

The San Francisco Giants, who finished fourth in the NL West, were another reported suitor for Burnes.

Burnes’ absence from the Orioles means they’ll continue their hunt for a No. 1 starter.

It seems unlikely they’ll be the winning bidder for Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki, who has been meeting with interested teams. There’s been no report that the Orioles have met with him.

There are still more than six weeks until pitchers and catchers report to the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota for spring training, and the February 1^st trade with the Milwaukee Brewers wasn’t completed until there were fewer than two weeks until camp opened.

So there’s time for the Orioles to add a free agent, though the current list isn’t as compelling as it seemed last month.

The Orioles could sign Jack Flaherty or Nick Pivetta, though the Red Sox right-hander would cost them a draft choice. They could go for a lower-tier starter — Andrew Heaney, Michael Lorenzen, Cal Quantrill or José Quintana — to build depth.

They could sign an accomplished veteran. Kyle Gibson, Lance Lynn, Charlie Morton, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander are still available.

More likely, they can go the trade route. If they trade for the best pitcher reportedly on the market, San Diego’s Dylan Cease, they’ll have to further deplete their stock of prospects. Cease is a year away from free agency, and he and the Orioles’ Zach Eflin could be the best starters in the next offseason’s free-agent market.

When the Orioles acquired Eflin and Trevor Rogers at the trade deadline, executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias said that part of their appeal was they were under club control beyond 2024. It would be hard for the Orioles to pull off a deal that involves getting a highly skilled pitcher who is under club control for at least 2026 as well.

Burnes’ move changes the Orioles’ projected win total according to BetOnline.ag. Last week, they forecast the Orioles for 89.5 wins, and now they’re predicted 88.5. Their odds for winning the pennant rise from 5/1 to 11/2 and their World Series odds are now 16/1 instead of 14/1.

The Diamondbacks’ win total jumps from 83.5 to 85.5.

What about Coulombe? The Associated Press list of remaining free agents lists Burnes and outfielder Anthony Santander as well as catcher James McCann, who should find a new home soon.

They also list John Means, who underwent Tommy John surgery in June as well as designated hitter Eloy Jiménez who reportedly has an agreement on a minor league contract with Tampa Bay. Reliever Brooks Kriske, who signed a minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs on November 22^nd is also on the list as is left-hander Danny Coulombe.

The Orioles declined to pick up Coulombe’s $4 million option for 2025 early last month, and he has yet to sign with a team.

Even though he missed more than half the season after surgery on his left elbow to remove bone chips, his record with the Orioles in 2023 and 2024 was outstanding.

Coulombe was 6-3 with a 2.56 ERA and three saves in 94 games. He allowed 6.7 hits per nine innings and struck out more than five times as many batters as he walked.

He is 35, but surprisingly there hasn’t been any chatter about him. The market for free agent relievers overall has been quiet

Former Orioles reliever Tanner Scott was rated as the 14^th most attractive free agent on the MLBTradeRumors.com Top 50 free agent list. He was predicted to sign a four-year, $56 million contract.

Call for questions: I answer Orioles questions most weekdays. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com.