The REAL Reason Corbin Burnes Said NO to the Orioles

Oriole fans won’t want to hear this, but Corbin Burnes was never staying with the Baltimore Orioles. The Ryan Ripken Show explains why.

23 comments

  2. I can't help but think what if CB signed earlier with Arizona ,would the Orioles had been more aggressive in signing other free agents or making a trade ? Instead of staying in the CB sweepstakes .

  3. I said this last July: he will not resign here. Corbin just had twins, bought a house in Scottsdale, AZ, and wanted to stay close to home.
    Another qualifier was the tax rates, and you played, Ryan, so you are aware of this: Maryland charges 38% on the top tax bracket ($634,300), which all MLB would be under as the minimum is $740,000. Arizona has a flat tax of 2.5%, so it was a bonus for him. In other news, Arizona has a crop of money trees to generate revenue to supplement their tax rate.
    Couple that with federal taxes, you will end up with almost ½ of your salary going to taxes, including states like California who charge for EACH DAY you play/practice in the state.
    Ryan states it best:
    He wanted to go home, plain and simple. Put down the pitchforks, Orioles fans, put yourself in Corbin's shoes, and walk in them for one simple day: family first, family first.
    Plus, being Corbin, I would surmise he had Scott Borass (I know) reach out to Arizona and say "hey, he wants to stay in Arizona, make an offer."
    Corbin was a class act, and never intended to come back, he did what we asked him to do, and he is the first true ace we had since a guy named Mike wore #35, the last pitcher we properly developed.
    Thank you Ryan, I hope the fans understand.

  5. I really never thought they would sign him. When it came time to focus on him after all the moves were made I just figured. 'Well…that's that we are not getting Burnes'. The real problem is MLB for me.

  8. Anyone with a pulse knows why Corbin signed in AZ. That is where his home is. His wife is raising 3 very young children there and now he can be home for 81 games a year as well as Spring training, it's not rocket science if you have ever been married and raised young children with someone you deeply love. The amazing part to me is why on Earth do people think the Orioles were entitled to resign him. We traded for him. He was a one year rental. He had no history with this organization prior to 11 months ago when the deal was announced on Feb 1st. People in this town are sometimes a bit delusional when it comes to our hometown sports teams. Good for Corbin, I wish him all the best! He is not in our division or league for that matter. Now lets get another trade done for Cease, Valdez, or Castillo. I would even be okay with Pablo Lopez as long as the deal was fair.

  11. Corbin is gone not much we can do about it other than figure out a plan B. More importantly, will the O's do the right thing though and lock up Gunnar and Adley to long term contract extensions or has that window closed?

  12. I'm not mad that Burnes didn't stay here, I'm mad that supposedly "everyone knew he was leaving" and the FO wasn't more aggressive in getting a top-end starter before they were all off the board.

  14. I grew up in Baltimore. Grew up in Waverly across from Memorial Stadium. I love the Orioles.

    These men have a responsibility to their families. Their wife, kids. Corbin has a home in Phoenix. He will be home for Spring Training and 81 home games. Plus the income tax is much less.

    Do a Google search on his home in Phoenix. You’re telling me you’d rather live in Maryland than there?

  22. O's should now: Pay for Scott and Scherzer. Trade with Seattle for Miller, trade with the Pirates for J. Jones, and if possible; trade for Alcantara. This brings depth and talent for many yrs.

  23. Disagreed because at the end of the day, money talks. Yes, home is important, but if the reporting is accurate, the Orioles offer was not even at the level of Arizona's. Baltimore is not New York or LA. We need to overpay to sign a free agent in most cases. We have a risk averse front office that looks rationally at free agents. The quote from Andrew Friedman is accurate. If we are rational about every free agent, we will never sign one. And by the way, this is not even just about Burnes. If it was known he wanted to go home, there were a bevy of free agent starters that would move the needle they could have pivoted to and did not. And let's dispense with the idea that this organization cannot afford a free agent. There is enough revenue sharing and national deals that the Os make a profit, even before looking at ticket sales and concessions. Not to mention an owner that bought the damn Magna Carta.

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