BURNES TO PITCH IN THE DESERT!

Stop the presses and cue the mariachi band—Corbin Burnes is taking his flamethrower to the Valley of the Sun! In a deal reportedly worth six years and a cool $210 million, the Diamondbacks have lured the biggest fish (or should we say snake?) in this year’s free-agent pitching market. And because no blockbuster is complete without a twist, Burnes gets an opt-out after the 2026 season. Talk about keeping things spicy.

Burnes, a 30-year-old right-hander with Cy Young-level skills and a resume that makes scouts drool, is poised to supercharge an already impressive D-backs rotation. Here’s what Burnes has been up to: Last season, he was lighting up the mound for the Orioles, going 15-9 with a razor-sharp 2.92 ERA. Over 32 starts, he clocked 181 strikeouts in 194 1/3 innings. Oh, and he earned his fourth straight All-Star nod and started the Midsummer Classic for the AL. Not too shabby, right?

Now, I have to confess—when I played armchair GM, I had Burnes landing with the Giants. Why? Because every "baseball insider" under the sun swore it was happening... the Giants or the Dodgers they would say. Spoiler alert: they were wrong. Seriously, how do they keep that baseball insider title? Instead, Burnes is packing his bags for Arizona, proving once again that this sport loves to keep us guessing.

For Burnes, it’s not just about baseball—it’s about coming home. As an Arizona resident, he’ll be pitching in his own backyard, and he’s joining a rotation that’s already stacked. Picture this: Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez. Add Corbin Burnes. Nice.

The New York Post was the first to report this deal, pending the usual physical. Assuming all goes well, the D-backs are about to unleash the ultimate desert storm, and Burnes is the eye of the hurricane.

Nice snag Diamondbacks! Game on, Arizona. Game on.

THE YANKEES EPIC FINISH

Source: Omar Rawlings/Getty Images North America

Those dark games after the All Star Game and in the dog days of summer in August seem like a distance memory as the 2018 Yankees head into the last game of the season with 100 wins and the Major League Baseball record of 266 home runs in a season.  And they did this on Saturday afternoon in Fenway Park, making these achievements even sweeter.

"In the fourth inning Saturday (NYY 8, BOS 5), rookie infielder Gleyber Torres swatted a two-run home run against Eduardo Rodriguez, giving the Yankees a whopping 265 home runs on the season. That is the most home runs in a single season in MLB history. Giancarlo Stanton added the team's 266th homer a little later for good measure," reported CBS Sports.

Source: Hall of Fame

The Torres home run broke the record held by the Seattle Mariners, led by guys like Ken Griffey, Jr. and even our very own Alex Rodriguez contributed 23 home runs to the 264 home run record set back in 1997.  The nice thing about this record is that the contributions came from a number of unlikely candidates, showing how valuable each player's endowment means to a team.

Source: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images North America

"I'm happy for them. They work really hard at their craft, and it's a result of a lot of people having success," manager Aaron Boone said as reported by USA Today.

Source: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images North America

One of the saddest days of the year for me, personally, and perhaps you share this emotion, is the last day of the regular baseball season.  This year, however, I feel very proud and happy for this Yankee team who have had their troubles and challenges along with their celebrations and successes, and have managed to come out more than just okay.  We have a viable candidate for Rookie of the Year honors in Miguel Andujar who at the start of spring, was not even a blink in the organization's eye for the starting third baseman job let alone a Rookie of the Year candidate.  Aaron Judge picked up where he left off as the 2017 AL Rookie of the Year, proving it was not a one and done career for the young Yankee leader.  And the Yankees make it to the post season again, continuing their streak of the winningest team in baseball.  Lots to celebrate everyone- one more feat left for the 2018, win game 101...and do it with a sweep in Fenway!

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

JEFF SAMARDZIJA IS BEING CHECKED OUT

Remember when Suzie Pinstripe wrote SAMARDZIJA: WASTED TALENT IN THE WINDY CITY? In it, she wrote that she basically coveted Jeff Samardzija and wanted him in the Bronx writing:

" The Yankees lead the list of 10 possible suitors.  They would have to give up a slew of prospects that could include Manny Banuelos and Ian Clarkin, but it may be just worth it with two-three guys out of the rotation. I like his youth and I like what he could bring to the team."

I agreed with that and then on the Illinois Center for Broadcasting's Fahey and Chivari show, I was asked about if I thought the Yanks were interested in Jeff.  I said this:

"I think he's someone that they are very interested in but I don't know how in depth it is...Now, as we saw the guy perform, he's obviously talented, he probably needs some more runs support and if he comes to New York, he probably gets that run support most likely. Yeah it would be a great idea..."

(In Photo: Chase Whitley)

Look, it still is a good idea.  I'm not too big on David Phelps, I hate the idea of Vidal Nuno starting these days, and who knows how long the Chase Whitley run will last. In other words, we could use him.

Now though, it's being reported that the Orioles may be in the "lead" for Jeff Samardzija. According to Bruce Levine as CBS Local, "...Orioles appear to be the leading team of interest in the sweepstakes for Cubs right-hander Jeff Samardzija, as sources confirmed the two teams are mutually interested...The Orioles have premium young pitching that the Cubs will insist on if they are going to move their ace. Right-handed pitchers Dylan Bundy, Kevin Gausman, Hunter Harvey and left-handed pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez top the list of young arms the Cubs are scouting."

I wonder what will happen. I'm putting the money on the Yanks... because Suzie was all over it early. We shall see... stay tuned...

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