It's not every day you see the entire MLB insider apparatus fire off the same news within a five-minute window, but that's what happened on July 16 when word broke that the Reds and Chase Burns agreed on a 7-year, $105 million extension. No options, no deferrals, straight cash through 2033. Jeff Passan had it. Ken Rosenthal had it. Jon Heyman had it. Mark Feinsand had it. MLBTradeRumors had it. When the whole insider corps converges that fast, you know the deal was buttoned up tight before it leaked.
Right-hander Chase Burns and the Cincinnati Reds are in agreement on a seven-year, $105 million contract, sources tell ESPN. Burns, 23, was an All-Star this season and one of the best young pitchers in baseball. No club options. A straight deal that will run through 2033.
The number itself is what makes this deal stand out. Per Feinsand and Heyman, this is the largest guarantee ever given to a pitcher with less than 4 years of major league service time, and it ties Homer Bailey for the biggest pitching contract in Reds franchise history. That's a wild sentence to write about a guy who's still 23 and only just made his first All-Star team.
Reds P Chase Burns has agreed to a 7-year, $105M extension, per source. The deal, which includes no options or deferrals, is the largest guarantee given to a pitcher with less than 4 years of service and ties the largest guarantee given to a pitcher in Reds history (Homer Bailey)
Burns isn't some unproven prospect the Reds are speculating on. He was the No. 2 overall pick out of Wake Forest in 2024, signing for a then-record $9.25 million bonus. This year he broke out for real, going 11-1 with a 2.54 ERA and 118 strikeouts in 102 2/3 innings on his way to his first All-Star nod. The Reds clearly decided they weren't going to let arbitration years and a future free-agency bidding war play out — they bought out two years of Burns' free agency before he even qualified for arb, locking him in through age 30.
For a franchise that's had a rough go of keeping star power in Cincinnati long-term, this is a statement. Only Joey Votto's 10-year, $225 million extension and Ken Griffey Jr.'s 9-year, $116.5 million deal rank higher in team history — and both of those came for established superstars, not a guy with barely a full season under his belt. The Reds are betting Burns' ceiling is that high.
In an interview with Rob Friedman, Burns talked about the extension, Hunter Greene's return to the rotation, and pitching with emotion — the kind of stuff that gives you a sense of who this guy is beyond the stat line.
Chase Burns talks with me about: • Whether he knew in college that he’d become an All-Star • What Hunter Greene’s return means for the Reds • Pitching with Emotion
Friedman followed up separately with a quick congrats note, and the reaction across the sport has been the same: well deserved, for a guy who forced the Reds' hand with results instead of leverage plays. Now the question is whether Burns and Hunter Greene can anchor a Cincinnati rotation good enough to actually contend, because locking up one ace only matters if the front office builds around him.