You probably woke up on Saturday morning with the same reaction that most of us had: “Whoa, Corbin Burnes is going to the Diamondbacks? I didn’t see that coming!”

Burnes is a resident of Scottsdale, Arizona, so we probably should have sniffed something out of. But after weeks of reports that the Giants and Blue Jays were the clubhouse leaders — and the D-backs weren’t exactly expected to make such big swings to start pitching — it was undeniably surprising. Now that we know the terms of the reported deal — six years, $210 million, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com — we can try to get a handle on it.

It’s obviously a huge moment for the D-backs, who suddenly have one of the best rotations in the National League And an unprecedented number of Corbins. But what impact does it have on the rest of baseball? Here’s a look at five teams now in place following the deal.

The Orioles have built one of the most impressive talent machines in all of baseball. They have more potential position players than they have room for, and they have MVP candidates everywhere you look. They have a fan base that has waited decades for their moment, and they have a new ownership group that is said to be capable of making big changes.

So why are fans tearing their hair out? Well, the brutal postseason departures the last two years are the main reason, but another reason is the seeming lack of aggressiveness in adding pieces to this young core. The only real The big move they made over the last two offseasons was trading for Burnes, and now he’s gone after a year. They still haven’t landed a major free agent – the most expensive player on this team is… Zach Eflin? The fourth highest paid player is Gary Sánchez! Their rotation now appears to consist of five respectable No. 3 starters, aside from a big step forward in 25-year-old Grayson Rodriguez. That should be it the time for Orioles fans. But it certainly doesn’t feel like that, does it?

In fact, the Giants are spending money on top free agents. They have four guys – Matt Chapman, Robbie Ray, Logan Webb and Jung Hoo Lee – who will make more than $22.8 million in 2026, and that’s the big (but late) deal they just made Willy Adames gave it, not even included. However, there is still the feeling that the biggest fish keeps getting away from them. Burnes joins Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani and Bryce Harper as top free agents the Giants failed to acquire. (Of course, Carlos Correa is a completely different story.)

Buster Posey, the Giants’ new president of baseball, was open about his desire to sign veterans, and as previously mentioned, the Giants were considered one of the favorites for Burnes from the start. With the addition of Adames and the return of Lee from a dislocated shoulder, the Giants should be a little better in 2025. But their rotation still needs help, despite Webb’s presence at the helm, and one of their main rivals in the division just got one much better. The Giants appear to be a little further behind right now than they were at the start of the offseason.

All right then Now What are the Blue Jays doing? No team faces a major existential crisis in 2025. Both Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette are entering the final year of their respective contracts with no concrete indication of impending extensions. To take advantage of their current competitive window, the Blue Jays have tried to lure free agent after free agent, from Ohtani to Juan Soto to Burnes. You missed them all.

Now they’re back where they started — trying to make one final run with a team that lost 88 games and finished last in the AL East in 2024. The Jays trading to the Guardians for slick-fielding second baseman Andrés Giménez was a sensible deal, but it also had to be paired with another big move – like signing Burnes.

Meanwhile, the rest of baseball is waiting to see if Toronto will fall far enough behind to consider sending Vlad Jr. or Bichette away at the trade deadline. (Or Kevin Gausman, for that matter.) If they start slowly this year, the vultures will start circling immediately. The Jays look as shaky and uncertain as any team in baseball right now, and time is running out to change that attitude.

The return of Teoscar Hernández made a ton of sense and reassured us once again that there is no force in baseball more difficult to reckon with than the Dodgers. But it’s a credit to the rest of the NL West that nobody gives them anything. The Padres were The They came close to beating them last year, and now the Diamondbacks – who, lest any of us forget, went to the World Series 14 months ago after beating LA in the NLDS – have taken their big step forward.

The signing of Blake Snell showed that the Dodgers are trying to fix their biggest weakness (and hey, you can’t forget that). other (The pitcher they’re adding to the rotation this year who also happens to be an MVP winner), but you could still argue that the Diamondbacks’ rotation is superior with Burnes at the helm. The Dodgers are the best team in baseball. But maybe they’re playing in baseball’s best league now.

We have reached the point where anyone at any time different When someone spends a whole lot of money on a player, you can’t help but look at the Mets and wealthy owner Steve Cohen and say, “Hey, that didn’t work out.” You Did you do that?” Apparently, Cohen has hardly been reserved and reserved this offseason. But for all the rotation additions the Mets have made this offseason, they’ve mostly been treading water in this area.

Sean Manaea was re-signed, while Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes filled in for Luis Severino and Jose Quintana. There’s still no real real ace here – unless perhaps Kodai Senga proves healthy and back to his best – and with Burnes now in Phoenix, there’s none of them left on the free agent market.

The Mets are deep, but right now it’s safe to assume that every other contending team in the National League has a clear rotation advantage over them in a short series. The Mets have a working veteran rotation, but no one who will scare you in October. This team spent several tons of money this offseason, but it’s still fair to wonder if there’s a piece missing here.