Corbin Burnes will not be opting out of his contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks, per reports.
This is one of the least surprising bits of news that we will have this offseason. Burnes signed a 6 year, $210 million deal with the D-Backs after the 2024 season, which included an opt-out after 2026.
Burnes suffered a torn UCL that resulted in him undergoing Tommy John surgery in the middle of the 2025 season. That cost him almost all of 2026 — he ended up pitching 10.1 innings over three starts for Arizona this season, allowing 9 runs, including 5 home runs, which is kind of impressive, if you think about it.
Burnes, the National League Cy Young Award winner for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2021, was acquired by the Baltimore Orioles prior to the 2024 season in exchange for DL Hall and Joey Ortiz. Both Hall and Ortiz were meaningful contributors to the Brewers' championship team this season.
Burnes is guaranteed $35 million per year for the 2027-30 seasons, although $11 million per year of that is deferred, which reduces the overall value such that it is valued for luxury tax purposes at $32.911 million per year. Given he's coming off of an injury and given the uncertain labor market this offseason, his declining the opt-out is a no-brainer.
