Diamondbacks quietly snag top starting pitching target away from SF Giants, Blue Jays

The SF Giants and Toronto Blue Jays were considered the frontrunners for Corbin Burnes this winter. However, the Arizona Diamondbacks quietly snagged the 2021 Cy Young winner on a six-year, $210 million deal, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.

Diamondbacks quietly snag top starting pitching target away from SF Giants, Blue Jays

Jon Heyman of the New York Post adds that Burnes' deal will include an opt-out after the second year. While the Giants have been one of the more aggressive teams in including opt-outs in contracts, that is a narrative they would like to shift going forward. That said, it is a lever that they should not shun from entirely.

It was believed that Burnes preferred to return to the West Coast. He grew up in Bakersfield, Calffornia, and attended Saint Mary's College in the Bay Area. His new deal does keep bring him west after spending one year with the Baltimore Orioles.

Importantly, Burnes has a home in Arizona and this deal allows him to be close to home when the Diamondbacks are not on the road. Of course, the Giants' spring training facility is in Scottsdale, Arizona, so they could have offered him a chance to stay close to home during the spring while playing not too far away from where he attended college.

At the end of the day, the Diamondbacks quietly struck. Ever since they signed Zack Greinke to a six-year, $206.5 million deal, it feels like Arizona can be seen at that mystery team at times. This was the case with Burnes as few rumors connected them to the four-time All-Star.

The Diamondbacks have added Josh Naylor along with Burnes while watching Joc Pederson and Christian Walker depart in free agency. They probably have at least one more move up their sleeve.

Their starting rotation is quite full with Burnes now leading that unit. He joins Brandon Pfaadt, Ryne Nelson, Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodríguez, and Jordan Montgomery.

Diamondbacks owner Bob Kendrick was openly critical of his own decision to push for the signing of Montgomery. This gets even weirder considering that the veteran pitcher is under contract with the club through the 2025 season. There is a good chance that Arizona looks to move Montgomery to create some space and payroll flexibility.

For the Giants and Blue Jays, it is back to the drawing board. The Giants have added Willy Adames this offseason, whereas Toronto has been eager to add another star player in free agency but have come up short.