Mets named ‘clear front-runner’ to sign projected $260 million ace

The New York Mets have played well above preseason expectations and now hold the inside lane for a playoff berth in the final stretch.

Given that success and the perennially deep pockets of owner Steve Cohen, the team could be poised for even bigger things in 2025. The Mets might have as much as $150 million coming off the books for next year, and Cohen is widely expected to deploy that flexibility on any number of premier free agents.

That willingness to spend is the primary reason that the Mets have been named as a top contender to sign Corbin Burnes away from Baltimore Orioles owner Dave Rubenstein if he hits free agency as expected at the end of the season.

“From an Orioles perspective, again, I don’t know exactly how much Rubenstein’s O’s will be willing to spend,” Orioles beat reporter Jake Rill wrote for MLB.com. “But if in any scenario they get into a bidding war with Cohen’s Mets, I don’t envision it going in Baltimore’s favor. That’s the biggest reason why I feel the Mets are a clear front-runner over the Orioles in this conversation. We know what Cohen has the potential to do; we don’t know that about Rubenstein.”

Willingness to spend could very well be the key to gaining Burnes’ services for next season and beyond. Tim Britton of The Athletic projected that the pitcher can earn $260 million over eight years in his next deal.

Before turning 30, the ace has already racked up four All-Star nods and Cy Young Award votes in four different seasons, taking home the award in 2021. In 30 starts this year, he’s maintained a 3.06 ERA while racking up 164 strikeouts.

In addition to Cohen’s spending, a level of familiarity between Brunes and Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns, who led the Milwaukee Brewers’ front office while the pitcher was on the staff there, could boost the likelihood of a deal as well.

“Stearns knowns Burnes as well as he knows any pitcher out there,” Rill’s colleague Mark Feinsand added. “If there’s one guy he may feel comfortable spending big on, it could be his former Brewer.”

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