Ace pitcher with local ties could transform the SF Giants rotation

The SF Giants seem likely to lose Blake Snell in free agency. If they do, they could replace him with another ace in Corbin Burnes who has been one of the best pitchers in baseball over the course of the last four seasons.

Blake Snell is all but certain to opt out of his contract with the Giants. While there is a possibility that he could sign a lucrative long-term deal with the Giants, many seem to think that he will sign elsewhere in the offseason.

If that is the case, that leaves a big hole in the rotation for the Giants. Even if Robbie Ray opts in to his $25 million player option as he seems likely to do, the team's rotation projects to be somewhat lacking on paper.

That is why the Giants need to make it a priority to sign a starting pitcher. There will be other options out there in free agency, including a former Giant who is having a great year, but Corbin Burnes may well be the best available option for the Giants.

Corbin Burnes would transform the SF Giants starting rotation

Burnes has been an All-Star each of the last 4 seasons. He established himself as a bonafide ace with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2021. That season he had a 2.43 ERA in 167 innings pitched. He followed that up with similarly solid years in 2022 and 2023, striking out over 200 batters in each of those seasons.

He was traded from the Brewers to the Baltimore Orioles in February of 2024 and did not slow down one bit with his new team. In 2024 with the Orioles he had a record of 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA in 192 and 1/3 innings pitched. He also had 181 strikeouts compared to 48 walks.

He also had a great outing in Game 1 of the 2024 AL Wild Card series between the Orioles and the Kansas City Royals. He went 8 strong innings and only allowed one earned run but took the loss as the Orioles gave him no run support.

Additionally, Burnes has ties to the Bay Area as he went to college at Saint Mary's College of California in the East Bay. He is also a native Californian growing up in Bakersfield.

Perhaps, if he is eager to come back to the West after spending his entire big league career thus far in the Midwest and on the East Coast, the Giants could be a promising landing spot for him.

Burnes will command a massive contract in free agency, but he would be worth it for the Giants with how consistent he has been the last 4 seasons.

We already know he looks good in orange and black from his time with Baltimore, so it would be great to see him in a Giants uniform in 2025 as he would be a huge boost to the rotation and would make Snell's likely departure hurt much less.