The Cincinnati Reds and pitcher Chase Burns have come to terms on a 7 year, $105M contract extension which will keep him under team control through 2033. The deal will feature no player or club options, and will come into effect next season.
Burns, who would have been pre-arbitration eligible in 2027 will now become a free agent in his age 30 campaign. The extension effectively buys out two free agent seasons for Cincinnati. The hard throwing right hander is currently 11-1 on the season with 118 Ks through 102.2IP, and a 2.54 ERA.
The former Wake Forest alum has struck out 28.6% of his opponents while walking just 9% of batters faced. Despite playing in one of the more hitter friendly environments in the league, Burns has given up just 1.05 home runs per nine innings in 2026 so far.
The 6’3″ fireballer was selected by the Reds 2nd overall in the 2024 MLB draft. Less than a year later he made his Major League debut on June 24th, 2025. After being moved to the bullpen last year in an effort to manage his innings, Burns has thrived as a full-time starter this season.
The new $105M deal is the largest contract ever signed by a pitcher with fewer than 4 years worth of Major League experience, showing just how much faith the club has in him moving forward. Prior to Thursday’s deal, Logan Webb had the largest deal for a pitcher with less than 4 years of service when he inked a 5 year, $90M pact back in 2023.
Burns figures to anchor a rotation that also features Hunter Greene, and Andrew Abbott amongst others for years to come in Cincy. The Reds remain off for the All-Star break on Thursday, but will resume their second half against the Colorado Rockies in an 8:40pm ET showdown on Friday.
Photo: RickADikeman. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.