MLB rumors: Corbin Burnes, Max Fried get Juan Soto advice in free agency

   

With Blake Snell signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers in free agency, Corbin Burnes and Max Fried are the two big-ticket pitchers left on the market, and one executive believes they should hold off on signing contracts until after Juan Soto finds a team.

MLB rumors: Corbin Burnes, Max Fried get Juan Soto advice in free agency

“Soto is holding up the top of the market, but it's still early December,” a National League executive said, via Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. “If I'm Burnes and Fried, I'm not signing until Soto signs. The teams that don't get him will have plenty of payroll flexibility — and they could be on tilt as they try to pivot elsewhere.”

Snell was a bit of a unique case, as he likely wanted to sign early this offseason to secure a long-term contract. He was in free agency until the spring of last year, and had to sign a deal with opt-outs with the San Francisco Giants. Now, he has the security of a long-term deal with the Dodgers. Burnes and Fried did not suffer that fate, and are likely to receive long-term deals even if they wait.

The five teams that reportedly are still in on Soto are the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays. The Dodgers are viewed as a team on the periphery, while the other four teams are trying hard to sign the outfielder, and are unlikely to give out other big contracts before Soto makes his decisions. Once Soto has a team, those teams likely have backup plans that could include Burnes or Fried.

What teams could be interested in Corbin Burnes and Max Fried?

Burnes is the top starting pitcher on the market, and one of the best starting pitchers to hit free agency in recent years. He is not quite as good as Gerrit Cole when he hit free agency in 2019, but Burnes is still an ace who could help out any contender. Fried is one of the better lefty starting pitchers in MLB as well.

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The Baltimore Orioles are reportedly interested in bringing back Burnes, and Fried is as well. The Red Sox reportedly have been looking for a lefty, and Fried is the best one available. The Yankees could pivot to sign either one, and so could the Mets, who still have a need for starting pitching even after signing Frankie Montas. The Blue Jays have had money set aside since Shohei Ohtani was a free agent as well.

Soto is the first domino, but Burnes and Fried are likely to find teams shortly after that.