The amount that Fried received is the case to go after Burnes. They are the same age and had similar WAR last season. He becomes insurance if you can’t resign Skubal—we can definitely afford both. Coupled with Jobe and Olson and this rotation would be elite for a while.
We saw what pitching and defense did for us last season and if Greene and Carpenter stay healthy for a season, with improvements from Keith and Tork, and this team could be competitive—and that’s before Clark, McGonigle and Liranzo emerge.