SF Giants beat writer confirms that team did not outbid Diamondbacks for Corbin Burnes

Four-time All-Star Corbin Burnes is set to join the Arizona Diamondbacks after agreeing to a six-year, $210 million deal. The SF Giants were interested in him, but Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle confirms they did not outbid the Diamondbacks' offer.

SF Giants beat writer confirms that team did not outbid Diamondbacks for Corbin Burnes

There was some confusion about this on Saturday morning. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that the Giants and Toronto Blue Jays offered more to Burnes and that he took less money due to the tax differences in Arizona.

Slusser's confirmation refutes the Giants part of that report. However, it does sound like Blue Jays were the team to make a bigger offer to Burnes.

This is all a moot point now with Burnes joining the Diamondbacks but it does shed light on the Giants' level of interest. Of course, they were interested in Burnes and held contract discussions. It was believed that the veteran pitcher preferred to return to the West Coast.

Burnes grew up in Bakersfield, California, and attended Saint Mary's College in the Bay Area. He had strong roots in California, which was part of the reason for the strong interest between him and the Giants.

However, Burnes has a house in Phoenix, Arizona, so he gets to stay at home when the Diamondbacks are not on the road. That is a pretty nice perk. 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.

At the end of the day, it comes down to money and the Giants did not make a competitive enough offer. Instead, he joins a division rival in a division that should be one of the strongest in baseball.

The Diamondbacks have a number of rotation arms with Burnes joining Brandon Pfaadt, Ryne Nelson, Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodríguez, and Jordan Montgomery. There is a good chance that they trade from this group before the season begins.

After winning 84 games and reaching the World Series in 2023, Arizona followed that up with an 89-win season. They did not reach the playoffs this time due to a tiebreaker but they look poised to reach the postseason again in 2025. The Giants will now need to make a pivot to address a roster that only won 80 games in 2024.