Saturday Bird Droppings: Corbin Burnes made his decision

Good Morning Birdland!

The year is nearly over, but it saved one of its biggest disappointments for the final days. The Orioles’ ace from 2024 will be pitching for another team in 2025. News came in overnight that Corbin Burnes had agreed to a six-year $210 million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks, ending the chances of a Baltimore reunion.

The binary outcome of “Orioles do not sign Burnes” is unsurprising. Mike Elias has made it pretty clear that he does not like to hand out big bucks in free agency, especially to pitchers. He has postured otherwise, saying that the team would be “in” on anyone that the front office felt improved the team. Burnes certainly would have done that. He also…