Corbin

Burnes

Feinsand notes that Fried “may be the most sought-after arm” this offseason. That’s, in part, due to a career 3.07 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 863 strikeouts in 884 1/3 innings, but also because Fried is expected to command less on the open market than both Burnes and Snell. Given that the Red Sox need a left-handed starter and that Lucas Giolito and Max Fried were high school teammates, Feinsand suggests that Boston couldn’t be an intriguing destination for the 30-year-old. Other likely suitors are the Braves, Blue Jays, Dodgers, Giants, and Mets.

It’s now official. Nick Martinez was the lone recipient to accept a qualifying offer this offseason cycle, becoming just the 14th to do so since the system was implemented back in 2012. That leaves Juan Soto, Willy Adames, Pete Alonso, Alex Bregman, Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, Teoscar Hernández, Christian Walker, Sean Manaea, Anthony Santander, Luis Severino and Pivetta officially heading to free agency. Their respective teams will receive draft pick compensation if they wind up signing elsewhere. No real surprises here besides Pivetta, who ESPN’s Jeff Passan indicated last week has at least a “three-year deal” waiting for him on the open market.

It’s merely a formality at this point as Burnes is a virtual lock to turn down the one-year guarantee in search of a lucrative long-term deal this offseason as arguably the top free agent starting pitcher on the open market. The 30-year-old right-hander’s strikeout totals dipped last year, but he still finished with a stellar 2.92 ERA, 1.10 EHIP and 181/48 K/BB ratio across 194 1/3 innings (32 starts) in his lone season with the Orioles. He’s a surefire top 10 fantasy starter heading into next season, regardless of where he ultimately winds up.

Burnes gave up five hits, walked one and struck out three. He pitched well enough to win, but the Orioles offense was shutout in the loss. In the sixth inning, Burnes walked Maikel Garcia, who then stole second base and scored on a two-out RBI single by Bobby Witt Jr. That was the only run either team could push across. Burnes would only get another chance to start if the Orioles come back to win the series and advance to the Division series. He’s a free agent this offseason.

No surprise here. Burnes was brought over in trade from Milwaukee to be the ace of the Orioles, and that’s exactly what he’s been. As for Game 2, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde was non-committal for that contest, but all signs point to Zack Eflin getting the ball against either the Tigers or Royals for that contest.

The O’s wound up losing 10-1 tonight, but that was hardly Barnes’ fault; he received a quick hook after just 69 pitches in his final start of the regular season. The tough loss dropped him to 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA. He’s expected to start Game 1 of the Orioles’ Wild Card series next week.

This is why a team like the Orioles trades for a pitcher like Burnes. Reeling for weeks and coming off a dramatic win the day before, this was a game they had to have to stop the bleeding and build some momentum. Enter Burnes who took the ball and twirled seven shutout innings in a gem. Only three Tigers reached scoring position and none made it to third base as Burnes was in complete control from the jump. His cutter was dominant and he willed Baltimore in a crucial game for them and fantasy managers everywhere. He’s set to face the Yankees in New York next time out.

This is why you trade for Corbin Burnes. The right-hander has been sensational for Baltimore in his first year away from the Brewers, but this was him at his best. He did walk one, but he allowed just three baserunners in the contest while keeping the Detroit offense off-balance throughout and generating 18 whiffs in the contest. Burnes now has a 3.06 ERA, and he’s bounced back nicely from his disappointing August. He gets the Tigers again Friday.

Burnes had kept the Rays off the board for the first six innings before a two-run shot by Jonny DeLuca ended that. While the overall line looks good for Burnes, he struck out just three batters and posted just a 16 percent whiff rate and 22 percent CSW. He has benefitted from some soft competition of late, but this doesn’t seem like the version of Corbin Burnes we’ve seen in the past. The good news for him is the easy matchups keep coming with the Tigers up next.

Burnes gave up six hits, walked one and struck out four. The win was his 13th of the season and first since August 4th. It was a much needed matchup and outing for Burnes, who had allowed at least five runs in four of his last five starts. He got back on track with a five and fly outing against the White Sox as Baltimore handed them their 108th loss on the season. Burnes has a 3.19 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 154 strikeouts in 169 1/3 innings on the year. The 29-year-old right-hander is set to face the Rays at home this weekend.