“Red Sox clear winner over rivals after reported Corbin-Burnes deal”

The Red Sox didn’t get Corbin Burnes, but were clear winners over their American League East rivals.

Boston had only a passing interest in the four-time All-Star. He was reportedly “in contact” with the right-hander, meaning the Red Sox were doing their due diligence on the free-agent market.

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Burnes agreed to a six-year, $210 million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was a huge deal for the 2021 National League Cy Young winner, although nowhere near a record-breaking deal that insiders were expecting. However, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays outbid the D-Backs, but Arizona’s tax difference was the deciding factor.

This is a difficult task for the Jays, especially since they were considered one of the favorites to sign Burnes. It’s also a bleak outlook for the Baltimore Orioles, a club that seemed unable to keep its ace in the draw.

There’s a strong case for the Red Sox that Garrett Crochet and Walker Buehler together are better for the rotation than spending a lot of money on Burnes. It’s better than what Toronto and Baltimore have because those teams had to compete against the rest of the pitching market.

The O’s still have one of the best lineups in the division, so they have that to fall back on. However, this was a disastrous offseason for the Blue Jays when it came to public perception.

They reportedly entered the Juan Soto Sweepstakes with Boston and were poised to reach historic levels financially. You missed out on the superstar slugger. They were ready to bring back Teoscar Hernández, but the All-Star returned to the Los Angeles Dodgers instead. If Vladimir Guerrero Jr. walks away, the fan base will be angry on a nuclear level.

There are still steps possible; The Red Sox are reportedly still in the running for Alex Bregman. However, when it comes to offseason winners, it’s fair to place Boston ahead of Baltimore and Toronto.