Corbin Burnes DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Corbin Burnes is expected to start the team's first spring training game on Friday against the Colorado Rockies. The right-hander is slated to pitch just one inning of work. Burnes was one of the top free agents in the open market and signed a massive six-year $210 million contract with the Diamondbacks earlier in the offseason. Last season in Baltimore, Burnes posted a 2.92 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP across 194 1/3 innings. He tallied strikeouts at a modest 23.1 percent rate but showed strong command with a 6.7 percent walk rate. The right-hander also generated an elite 31.6 percent hard-hit rate and 48.8 percent ground-ball rate, which were both well above the average marks. Given his high workload, fantasy managers should view Burnes as a high-floor SP1 in all formats.

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, right-handed pitcher Corbin Burnes turned down more money per year from other suitors when he signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks earlier on Saturday. Heyman mentions that the San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays offered Burnes larger contracts than Arizona. However, Burnes opted to sign with the Diamondbacks due to a lower state tax and family arrangements. The 30-year-old pitcher ended up agreeing to a six-year deal worth $210 million with the Diamondbacks that includes an opt out after two seasons. Last summer in Baltimore, Burnes posted a strong 2.92 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP across 194 1/3 innings of work. Despite seeing his strikeout production drop, Burnes remains a high-end starting pitcher heading into 2025 given his stable ratios and ability to make over 30 starts each season.

According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, right-handed pitcher Corbin Burnes has signed a six-year $210 million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks have recently begun to make some noise on the market, trading for first baseman Josh Naylor a week ago and are now signing the top pitcher on the market. Last summer in Baltimore, the 30-year-old posted a 2.92 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP across 194 1/3 innings of work en route to finishing fifth in AL Cy Young voting. Under the hood he generated a stellar 31.6% hard-hit rate and a 48.8% ground-ball rate. Before going to Baltimore, Burnes spent the first six seasons of his career in Milwaukee where he won the 2021 NL Cy Young. Even though he strikeout production has slowly declined over his career, Burnes has remained a workhorse as he has logged over 190 innings in each of the past three seasons. The right-hander will now sit as the ace of the Arizona rotation and will be one of the first starting pitchers taken in fantasy drafts this offseason.