December 28, 2024 2:36 AM : Burnes and the Diamondbacks agreed on a six-year, $210 million dollar contract Friday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Analysis: The Diamondbacks had been mostly quiet during the early part of the offseason, but they made their second big splash within the past seven days -- the first was a trade for first baseman Josh Naylor last Saturday -- with the signing of Burnes. The 30-year-old right-handed hurler put up impressive numbers in his lone campaign with Baltimore last year, posting a 2.92 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and career-high 15 wins over 194.1 innings across 32 starts. It's also worth noting -- especially for fantasy managers deciding where Burnes slots in among baseball's top arms -- that his strikeout rate fell to 23.1 percent, marking the fifth straight year that his rate in that area has dipped. Nonetheless, Burnes offers plenty to like from a fantasy perspective, including the ability to rack up starts (he's made at least 32 each of the past three years), limit walks and post strong ratios. In Arizona, he'll form an intimidating 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation with Zac Gallen for a Diamondbacks squad that has its sights set on competing in the National League.