It didn't take long for the beat to light up Wednesday afternoon. Within minutes of each other, Ken Rosenthal, Jeff Passan, Jon Heyman and Mark Feinsand all confirmed the same stunning number: the Reds and 23-year-old righty Chase Burns had agreed to a seven-year, $105 million extension, with the deal first reported by @JonMorosi.
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 structure is what makes this one stand out. No club options, no deferrals, no games — just a flat $105 million guarantee. Per Feinsand and Heyman, that makes it the largest guarantee ever given to a pitcher with less than 4 years of service time, and it ties Homer Bailey for the biggest pitching contract in Reds franchise history.
Star pitcher Chase Burns and Reds agree on $105m, 7 year extension. No options, no deferrals. Tied with Homer Bailey as the largest Reds pitching contract. 1st: @JonMorosi
For context on how fast this happened: the Reds took Burns No. 2 overall out of Wake Forest in the 2024 draft, where he'd led all of college baseball with 191 strikeouts in just 100 innings and won ACC Pitcher of the Year. He signed for a then-record bonus and needed barely a year to reach the majors. This season he's been an All-Star and one of the best young arms in the sport, sitting at 11-1 with a 2.54 ERA and a fastball that averages nearly 98 mph, the second-hardest of any big league starter.
That's the bet Cincinnati is making — pay the ace now, before arbitration and free agency ever get a say. It's the kind of long-term commitment that hasn't always come easy for a small-market club, which is exactly why tying Bailey's franchise mark, and sitting just behind the extensions given to Joey Votto and Ken Griffey Jr., means something bigger than the dollar figure.
Huge congrats to Chase on his contract extension. Well deserved! https://t.co/oVQzLceoUY
Friedman's timing was almost comedic — he'd just wrapped a sit-down with Burns about pitching with emotion and the Reds' return of Hunter Greene, only for the extension to drop before the interview even hit feeds. Add it up and Cincinnati just told its fan base the front office is serious about building around this arm deep into the next decade, not just riding the breakout year and hoping it lasts.