Corbin Burnes reveals details of Red Sox free agency pursuit

The Boston Red Sox made a move on starting pitcher Corbin Burnes before the Arizona Diamondbacks agreed to a six-year, $210 million deal with the right-hander in free agency.

Burnes joined the market after an impressive one-year season with the Baltimore Orioles in which he went 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA in 32 starts and finished fifth in voting for the Cy American League Young Award. This, of course, aligned Burnes with a handful of teams interested in bringing him in free agency this offseason, prompting a meeting with agent Scott Boras before Burnes made the decision to join Arizona.

The 30-year-old revealed that the New York Yankees and Red Sox were among the teams he met with via Zoom calls during the offseason.

“We’ve had three or four teams contact us and it’s a little weird how they group together,” Burnes told Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci. “We went from nowhere to these three teams in one day. And then, okay, nothing for another week or so. And then all of a sudden, these four teams were contacting each other in the space of two days. So it’s quite strange to see how much things fluctuate as the market evolves.

When the market began to move naturally and Burnes met with several organizations and front office executives, the Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants were the top options. However, Burnes stuck to the patient approach recommended by Boras, seeking a more desirable offer, either from those who had already presented a deal or elsewhere.

That’s where the Diamondbacks came in on December 23, officially taking Burnes off the market.

The Red Sox, meanwhile, didn’t slow down their efforts to bolster the pitching staff once Burnes provided Arizona with his seal of approval.

Boston baseball director Craig Breslow delivered on the franchise’s promise by adding relief pitchers Justin Wilson and Aroldis Chapman to the Red Sox bullpen and starters Garrett Crochet, Walker Buehler and Patrick Sandoval to the team rotation. Breslow demonstrated a mix of Boston’s willingness to sacrifice, trading four prospects to the Chicago White Sox in Hook and spending on the open market.

The Red Sox and their new additions now sit less than four weeks until pitchers and catchers report to Fort Myers, Fla., for the start of spring training.