The Cincinnati Reds extended right-hander Chase Burns following his selection to the All-Star Game, moving before arbitration eligibility to secure their highest-upside arm since Johnny Cueto. Terms remain undisclosed, but the timing—mid-season, pre-arbitration—marks the earliest the front office has committed to a homegrown starter since the Phil Castellini era began in 2006.
Burns, 22, posted a 2.87 ERA across 94.1 innings entering the break, striking out 118 while walking 31. His four-seamer averages 97.2 mph, fourth among National League starters with at least 80 innings. The Reds drafted him second overall in 2023 out of Wake Forest, and he reached the majors in April after 11 minor-league starts. He became the fastest Reds pitcher to reach an All-Star roster since José Rijo in 1991, when the club still spent freely.
The extension solves two problems: it buys out arbitration years before Burns prices himself toward $15-20 million annually, and it signals to a skeptical fanbase that ownership will pay to retain talent developed in-house. The Reds haven't extended a pre-arbitration starter since Homer Bailey in 2011, a deal that turned disastrous when Bailey's elbow required two Tommy John surgeries. Burns' medicals cleared in the pre-draft process, and his delivery has drawn comp to Max Fried for its repeatability. The club's pitching infrastructure—overhauled in 2020 under Derek Johnson—has kept him healthy through a 140-inning workload between Triple-A and the majors.
The deal also creates cap flexibility for next winter's shortstop market. Elly De La Cruz reaches arbitration after 2025, and locking Burns now frees payroll space to extend De La Cruz before he commands $30 million annually. The Reds ranked 24th in Opening Day payroll at $101 million, per Cot's Baseball Contracts, and ownership has consistently cited revenue constraints tied to Great American Ball Park's outdated luxury suite inventory. A Burns extension—likely structured in the $60-80 million range over six or seven years, based on comps like Dylan Cease's $75 million deal with San Diego—means the front office can approach De La Cruz's camp with credibility when talks begin this fall.
What to watch: Burns' next start comes Friday against the Dodgers, and his second-half workload will test the extension's risk profile. The Reds typically cap rookie starters near 160 innings, which would give Burns roughly 65 more frames. Coordinators around the league expect Cincinnati to monitor his velocity and chase rate closely; a dip in either metric would suggest fatigue that could complicate the club's postseason push. Agent Scott Boras, who represents Burns, typically negotiates opt-outs into extensions for pitchers under 25, so watch for clarity on whether Burns can re-enter free agency before 2030.
The club announced the extension during a weekend series against St. Louis, when attendance averaged 31,204, up 12% from last season's comparable homestand. Burns starts Saturday, and the Reds front office scheduled the announcement for Friday afternoon, ensuring local media coverage ahead of his outing.
The takeaway
Cincinnati's pre-arbitration extension of Burns signals small-market clubs are buying out stars earlier to avoid arbitration inflation.
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