But fortunately for Boston, its fiercest competitors didn’t sign the superstar right-hander.

After Blake Snell and Max Fried both signed relatively early in free agency, Burnes set himself up nicely on the open market. Coming off his fourth straight All-Star season, the 2021 National League Cy Young Award winner was in position to command top dollar from any team interested in bolstering its rotation.

Burnes, however, reportedly left money on the table to move back to the West Coast and join the Arizona Diamondbacks. And after the reported agreement, the New York Post’s Jon Heyman shed light on the teams that missed out on Burnes despite serious efforts to sign him.

“Hearing three East teams — including Jays and Orioles — were the biggest Burnes bidders,” Heyman posted to X on Saturday. “Burnes, ultimately, chose to be home in Arizona.”

If the Red Sox want to end their postseason drought in 2025, improving their play against division rivals will be imperative. And seeing upper-echelon players like Burnes and Juan Soto leave the American League East only will help Boston with that objective.

So too will adding more talent, which the Red Sox still might do even though most of the notable offseason dominos already have fallen.