Chicago Cubs, Corbin Burnes Speculation Ends After Megadeal With Diamondbacks

After a long period of speculation, the Chicago Cubs and Corbin Burnes rumors can finally end after he agreed to a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Sep 20, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Corbin Burnes (39) throws a first inning pitch against the Detroit Tigers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Throughout the entirety of the offseason, the Chicago Cubs were seen as a potential landing spot for Corbin Burnes since the front office was looking to add a starting pitcher and he had previously played under Craig Counsell during their tenures with the Milwaukee Brewers.

But, it quickly became apparent this was not something that was going to get done.

The Cubs were never going to pay the amount of money it would take to land Burnes, and with a late-night deal that was reported by Jon Heyman of The New York Post, the speculation about Chicago making a move for the past Cy Young winner is officially over after he agreed to a six-year, $210 million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

While the connections between the Cubs and Burnes made this an obvious match on paper, the reality of him commanding the type of deal he eventually received made it pretty clear that this ownership group and front office weren't going to extend that amount of cash.

So, if Chicago is going to bolster their rotation, they'll continue looking elsewhere.

They already have added Matthew Boyd, but with three definite left-handed starters penciled in and a potential fourth depending how Jordan Wicks performs during the spring, the ideal target should be a righty.

Again, the Cubs aren't going to be at the top of the market, so even though the pool of available players has begun to shrink, they'll likely be looking to sign a low risk, high reward type of arm.

Who that might be remains to be seen, but they could also be content with what they have in place while searching for another bullpen piece to help further stabilize that unit.