Orioles ace Corbin Burnes might have priced himself out of any future with the team after this season, while Anthony Santander might have to find a new home because of the number of talented outfielders in the organization.
Both players are pending free agents and have put themselves in a position for big contracts this offseason.
Burnes was the starting pitcher for the American League in this year’s All-Star Game, his fourth selection to the Midsummer Classic. Santander appeared in his first All-Star Game after leading the majors in home runs in June with 13.
The Orioles have a bevy of emerging superstars who will also eventually be looking for huge deals, including shortstop Gunnar Henderson, pitcher Grayson Rodriguez, catcher Adley Rutschman and third baseman Jordan Westburg. There is only so much money to go around, and Burnes and Santander might have priced themselves out of Baltimore.
Ken Rosenthal, an insider for The Athletic, FOX Sports and Foul Territory, expects both Burnes and Santander to be with other teams in 2025.
“I honestly don’t think they have a chance, even with the new ownership,” Rosenthal told PressBox. “Burnes is represented by Scott Boras. Boras will seek top dollar. And the Orioles will get outbid by some large-market club. The Orioles have a logjam in the outfield. The Orioles, given all the young outfielders in their organization, probably will let [Santander] go.”
The Orioles have a new ownership group led by David Rubenstein, who has said the team is willing to boost its budget for players. The Orioles ranked 27th among 30 MLB teams with a $94.5 million payroll entering this season, according to USA Today.
However, the franchise has not recently been in the running for long-term, high-priced players, pitchers in particular, according to Marty Conway, a former MLB executive who is now an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, where he teaches courses in sports leadership.
“Some of that was related to the ownership status, with no clear, single owner with access to the resources necessary to land those players,” Conway said. “The signing of a pitcher with the profile of Burnes would be a statement signing by David Rubenstein’s new ownership group, a signal to the fan base that things have changed.”
The Orioles acquired 2021 NL Cy Young winner Burnes from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for left-handed pitcher DL Hall, infielder Joey Ortiz and a 2024 competitive balance pick in February. The right-hander is one of five MLB pitchers who struck out at least 200 batters from 2021-2023, along with Dylan Cease, Gerrit Cole, Aaron Nola and Kevin Gausman.
The move paid off for the Orioles. Burnes has been one of the franchise’s most dominant pitchers in recent memory. At the end of July, Burnes was 11-4 with a 2.47 ERA. He had 128 strikeouts and 33 walks in 138.2 innings and is a legitimate candidate for the AL Cy Young Award.
Burnes has put himself in a position for a massive deal, possibly worth $35 million per year, but he is also trying to help the Orioles win their first World Series in 41 years.
“I think I’ve been pretty honest in that being a year away from free agency is something everyone wants to get to,” Burnes said prior to the season. “Everyone wants to pick where they will play. I don’t know what kind of talks will come about. … We will want to focus on winning games and doing what’s best for the Orioles.”
Santander is one of the remaining holdovers from the Orioles’ lean years, along with first baseman Ryan Mountcastle and center fielder Cedric Mullins. Left fielder Austin Hays was also part of that group, but he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in July for right-handed reliever Seranthony Domínguez and outfielder Cristian Pache.
Mountcastle and Mullins are under club control next year, but Santander could become a victim of the Orioles’ recent success. The team has drafted well and stocked its farm system. The Orioles have some quality young outfielders in the pipeline, which might make Santander expendable.
“The current Orioles baseball management seems to be very good at drafting and developing position players, with many making it to the majors rapidly,” Conway said. “This makes them less likely, it would seem, to pay the free agent price for a player like Santander. In addition, his current playing time and plate appearances could go to one of those drafted players rising through the minor leagues.”
The Orioles also have to look at the big picture and determine which of their young superstars — Henderson, Rodriguez, Rutschman and Westburg — they are going to try to sign to a long-term deal. That could also be an uphill battle.
Henderson and Westburg are represented by Boras, whose clients generally do not agree to extensions, according to Rosenthal. Conway agrees that the Orioles face a stiff challenge to sign those players.
“It will be very difficult,” Conway said. “There are always two sides to this question: getting a contract and wanting to sign a contract. Currently, the reported revenues produced by the Orioles franchise place some upper limits on what the on-field payroll can be. While attendance is rising, there is a need for more revenues from media, sponsorship and revenues from areas such as ballpark-related development around Oriole Park.”
Photo Credits: Kenya Allen/PressBox
Issue 288: August/September 2024
Originally published Aug. 14, 2024