Late Sunday night, the New York Mets effectively pulled themselves out of the Corbin Burnes sweepstakes. It was quite a long shot for the Mets to land him, but it was still a possibility with owner Steve Cohen controlling the finances.
On Sunday night, the Mets announced they were re-signing pitcher Sean Manaea to a three-year, $75 million deal. Manaea returns as one of the top pitchers on the team, joining a rotation full of misfit reclamation projects.
For Burnes, this means his free agency is down to three teams: the San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays, and Boston Red Sox.
The incumbent Baltimore Orioles were seemingly out of the race when it was rumored Burnes would land a deal north of $200 million. Baltimore could effectively turn its attention to pitchers like Jack Flaherty and the trade market to replace its ace.
The Red Sox may be dropping out of the race as well, not because of money, but because they recently signed Walker Buehler to join their rotation. While any team could make room for Burnes on their roster, the Red Sox don't have a pressing need on the mound after adding Buehler and Garrett Crochet.
The Blue Jays have plenty of money to spend. Toronto could offer Burnes north of $250 million because the front office recently offered Juan Soto over $700 million.
The Giants have emerged as the likely favorites in these sweepstakes. San Francisco has already added Willy Adames this winter and Burnes could be next as it looks to chase down the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West.
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