The price tag for Corbin Burnes just got much higher for the SF Giants

The SF Giants have been connected to ace starting pitcher Corbin Burnes a lot this offseason. The premier starter on the market was always going to be expensive, but his price tag went up even more after pitcher Max Fried signed a huge contract.

According to Jess Passan of ESPN, Fried and the New York Yankees are in agreement on an eight-year $218 million contract:

The price tag for Corbin Burnes got much higher for SF Giants after Max Fried signing

Fried is another pitcher the Giants were connected to. After Blake Snell left and joined the Los Angeles Dodgers, it seemed like a possibility that the Giants would want to replace him with a top-tier starter.

All the while, president of baseball operations Buster Posey has talked up the young starting pitchers already on the Giants like Kyle Harrison and Hayden Birdsong. This could be a potential smokescreen to make it seem like the Giants are not intent on adding a starter, or it could be a genuine belief that the Giants are fairly set with their rotation.

If the Giants are indeed interested in Burnes, the cost is going to be very high. Snell received a five-year $182 million contract, and even second or third tier starters like Luis Severino (three-year $67 million) and Frankie Montas (two-year $34 million) have received large deals.

An executive told Mark Feinsand of MLB.com that Burnes will get a contract in the neighborhood of six years and $175 million. That averages out to a little more than $29 million per year, but if the Giants are going to land him it feels like it will take more than than.

We know that the Giants need to overpay free agents to come to San Francisco. Posey was clearly willing to do that with shortstop Willy Adames, giving him the largest contract in franchise history. Will he be willing to do the same with Burnes?

If he is, he is likely going to have to give him a contract in the $30-35 million per year range. I would be expecting a seven-year $231 million contract or something approaching that. Starting pitching is coming at a premium this offseason, and Burnes may very well be the Crown Jewel of this year's starting pitcher free agent class.

We will have to see how aggressive the Giants will be. If they truly want to be competitive in the NL West these next few seasons, signing Burnes feels borderline essential. Pitching and defense is how the Giants are going to win. Signing Adames helps a lot defensively, and signing Burnes would help a ton on the pitching front.

Now we will wait and see if the Giants are willing to reach deep into their pocketbook to pay for a premium starter.