San Francisco had reportedly been a favorite to sign Burnes, who grew up in Bakersfield and attended Saint Mary’s College in Moraga. Burnes, winner of the 2021 NL Cy Young Award, will join right-handers Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly on the Diamondbacks, a divisional rival who led all of baseball in runs last season.

But Burnes chose the Diamondbacks over the likes of the San Francisco Giants, who were thought to be the frontrunners to land the ace, and the Toronto Blue Jays, who were also in the running to land the ace starter, for less money than what Fried received from the Yankees.