It looks like the Orioles might have been closer to signing Corbin Burnes than initially reported

Based on a report from Jack Vita of the Baltimore Sun on Tuesday morning, it looks like the Orioles might have come a lot closer to landing superstar righty Corbin Burnes than we’d initially thought.

Burnes spoke with the media about his efforts to land a free agent deal this winter and while he eventually landed in Arizona, he mentioned that the Orioles were “definitely competitive” in their pursuit to sign him.

Talking about Baltimore’s efforts, Burnes said “Obviously I enjoyed my time there, enjoyed the group of guys there. Just as offers started to come in, they were in the ballpark, for sure…Baltimore was definitely competitive and in that realm of possibility”.

Burnes said that in the end, it essentially came down to location.

He and his wife own a home in Arizona and once the Diamondbacks came calling and had a seriously competitive offer on the table, he couldn’t turn it down. That much we’d already gathered, based on Burnes’ prior comments.

But the part about the Orioles being aggressive early on in negotiations and being in the ballpark with other competitive offers that had been put on the table seems to run contrary to what Burnes had said about his free agency a few weeks back.

Corbin Burnes speaks out about his negotiations with the Orioles this past winter

In January, Burnes had noted that he’d previously had verbal discussions with the Orioles’ front office but nothing concrete was put on the table for him.

“There was some verbal stuff with Baltimore and Boston, but nothing I had seen in writing”, Burnes said.

It’s been noted that Burnes did turn down larger contract offers to sign the six-year, $210 million deal with the D-Backs.

The Giants and Blue Jays were among the teams interested in Burnes throughout the winter, and we know that the Orioles and Red Sox were in the mix as well.

One of the bigger takeaways from these most recent comments is that it’s positive news to learn that the Orioles were offering Burnes a competitive deal.

The way Burnes had phrased it in his previous statement, he made it sound like the Orioles’ front office wasn’t taking negotiations seriously.

It’s not uncommon for teams to withhold formal contract offers but Burnes made it sound like the Orioles weren’t in the ballpark.

At the end of the day, the Orioles weren’t able to seal the deal.

In this specific instance, it seems like Burnes had other priorities.

He clearly wanted to be in Arizona and when the Diamondbacks got into the ring, the Orioles’ hopes went right down the drain.

However, Mike Elias will have to keep at it.

Eventually the Orioles will win one of these negotiations and land a superstar free agent that the fanbase has been desperately clamoring for.