Toronto Blue Jays Had In-Person Meeting With Free Agent Corbin Burnes, Per Report

The Toronto Blue Jays have had an in-person meeting with free agent starting pitcher Corbin Burnes, according to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi.

Burnes is one of the top starters remaining on the open market, alongside longtime Atlanta Braves left-hander Max Fried. The Blue Jays have also been tied to Fried, as well as former New York Mets and New York Yankees right-hander Luis Severino.

However, Toronto's interest in Fried and Severino has yet to result in a publicly-known meeting with either one, signifying that Burnes may be their top target.

The Toronto Blue Jays have reportedly had an in-person meeting with free agent Corbin Burnes, per @jonmorosi. pic.twitter.com/X946T05TTN
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) December 5, 2024

Burnes is coming off a stellar season with the Baltimore Orioles, who acquired the right-hander in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers back in February. He proceeded to go 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA, 1.096 WHIP, 181 strikeouts and a 3.4 WAR across 32 appearances in 2024, starting the All-Star Game for the American League and finishing fifth in the AL Cy Young race.

During his time in Milwaukee, Burnes made a habit of racking up NL Cy Young votes, even winning the award outright in 2021. He also placed sixth in 2020, seventh in 2022 and eighth in 2023.

Burnes owns a 52-31 record, 2.88 ERA, 1.020 WHIP, 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings and an 18.6 WAR since 2020, making him one of the most accomplished pitchers in baseball so far this decade.

It makes sense why the Blue Jays would want to add an arm like that to their rotation, which already features veteran former All-Stars in Kevin Gausman, José Berrios and Chris Bassitt. Bowden Francis is likely to claim a spot as well, thanks to his historic second half of 2024, while their fifth starter remains a question mark.

Second-year Cuban righty Yariel Rodríguez is currently in line to make the rotation after starting 21 games in 2024. And if it weren't for his recent Tommy John surgery, top prospect Ricky Tiedemann would likely be in the running as well.

If Toronto can manage to add one of Burnes, Fried or Severino, they can bump Rodríguez to the bullpen and give Tiedemann all the time he needs to fully recover.

Of course, simply meeting with Burnes won't get the job done.

MLB Trade Rumors projected Burnes to ink a seven-year, $200 million contract, while The Athletic had him down for $217 million over seven years. Spotrac calculated his market value to be $180 million over six years.

The Blue Jays' front office will likely have to wait things out with Juan Soto – who is looking for a contract worth upwards of $600 million – before they fork over that kind of cash for a starting pitcher. But with Soto apparently making his decision before the Baseball Winter Meetings get underway on Sunday, Burnes' market could come to a head soon as well.

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