Top MLB Free Agent Pitcher Shockingly Heading to Diamondbacks Of All Places

Major League Baseball's biggest free agent pitcher is heading south, as Corbin Burnes shocked the baseball world by signing a massive deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The 30-year-old Cy Young Award winner has signed a six-year, $210 million deal - not too shabby of a payday, aside from the whole living and playing in the dreadful Arizona heat type of thing. Fortunately for Burnes, who is a Scottsdale, Arizona, resident, he'll be relatively used to the high temperatures. And hey, at least he gets out of Baltimore and playing for the Orioles anymore.

THE DIAMONDBACKS NOW HAVE ONE OF THE BEST ROTATIONS

What's shocking about MLB's top free agent pitcher being signed to the D' Backs is that the team came out of NOWHERE with the move, having not been previously mentioned as a contender for his services. Burnes had been linked to multiple big-name teams in need of bolstering their starting rotation, such as the Toronto Blue Jays and the San Francisco Giants. The Yankees were reportedly interested in Burnes before they signed Max Fried to a massive eight-year, $218 million contract a few weeks ago.

And don't look now, but the Diamondbacks have now secured one of the best starting rotations.

Burnes will join fellow starting pitchers Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez and Brandon Pfaadt, which, for those that may have taken a break from MLB this winter, is an absolutely stacked group of flamethrowers.

God knows the Diamondbacks will need it, as they find themselves in the highly competitive National League West, where the Los Angeles Dodgers continue to spend like money grows on trees, as the defending World Series Champions just re-signed outfielder Teoscar Hernandez to a three-year, $66 million deal yesterday. 

Arizona will hope that Burnes, who since 2020 leads all of MLB pitchers in strikeouts (946) and ERA (2.88) will be just what they need to get them most likely to face a team like the Dodgers in this year's playoffs, after missing out this past postseason by just one game.