The Pitching Market is Heating Up

The Top Dollar Deals

Free-agent pitchers are having a fabulous offseason, with top starters like Blake Snell and Max Fried securing multi-year, multi-million-dollar contracts.

The Los Angeles Dodgers set the market by signing Snell to a five-year, $182 million deal. The New York Yankees followed suit, inking Fried to an eight-year, $218 million contract.

The Corbin Burnes Sweepstakes

With Fried off the market, the focus shifts to Corbin Burnes, whose price tag is steadily rising.

MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reports that the Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants are the favorites to acquire Burnes. The Blue Jays, who missed out on Juan Soto and Fried, are facing the loss of Chris Bassitt and Kevin Gausman and are considered "Toronto's best and last hope" for a frontline starter.

Next Tier Free Agents

Behind Burnes, several other quality free-agent starters are available, including Jack Flaherty, Sean Manaea, Nick Pivetta, and Walker Buehler.

The Japanese sensation Roki Sasaki, who was officially posted on Tuesday, will also be a sought-after target. However, as an international amateur free agent, he will not spark a nine-figure bidding war, putting him in a different category of his own.

Filling the Rotation Gaps

The Boston Red Sox, who had been in the running for Soto and Fried, are now pursuing a reunion with Pivetta, who declined their qualifying offer.

The New York Mets have opted to sign journeyman Clay Holmes as a starter. The Chicago Cubs took a gamble on injury-prone Matthew Boyd, while the Los Angeles Angels signed Yusei Kikuchi.

Deals for the Ordinary Hurlers

While the top starters command premium contracts, even less impressive pitchers are getting paid.

Luis Severino signed a three-year, $67 million deal with the Sacramento Athletics. Nathan Eovaldi secured $75 million over three years to join the Texas Rangers.

Steven Matz, who has failed to meet expectations as a closer, landed a three-year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Expert Opinions

Jeff Passan, ESPN.com: "Fried, 30, who blossomed into one of the best pitchers in the National League over seven years with the Braves, is a two-time All-Star with a 2.81 ERA over the past five seasons in Atlanta."

Bradford Doolittle, ESPN.com: "Eovaldi remained among a tier of free agent starters with similar recent performance profiles. But Eovaldi was the oldest of the bunch, and since his recent health history is less than pristine, you had to think he was just one of a muddle of veterans that included Jack Flaherty, Seann Manaea and Nick Pivetta."

Bonus: Grandfathers and Baseball

"My girls went to Europe for 10 days, and I watched the grandkids. That was the one day I thought maybe I'll go back to baseball." - Terry Francona, on making his managerial comeback with the Cincinnati Reds.