Cincinnati Reds agree to seven-year, $105 million extension with pitcher Chase Burns

Chase Burns and the Cincinnati Reds agreed on a seven-year, $105 million contract extension, sources told ESPN on Thursday. The right-hander is 23 and in his first full season with the team. Burns holds an 11-1 record with a 2.54 ERA and 118 strikeouts in 102⅔ innings.

His fastball averages 97.9 mph, the second-hardest among big-league starters. 358 against him, and his 31.7 percent swing-and-miss rate ranks seventh in MLB. The extension buys out two of Burns' free-agent years, contains no club options, and runs through 2033.

It is the largest contract for a pitcher who has not yet reached arbitration and the third-largest in Reds history, behind those given to Joey Votto and Ken Griffey Jr. Burns was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft out of Wake Forest.

He threw 66 innings over 13 minor-league starts before debuting in the majors. In 43⅓ innings that year he recorded 67 strikeouts against 16 walks and finished with a 4.57 ERA. Burns spent two years at the University of Tennessee before transferring to Wake Forest.

He struck out 191 hitters in 100 innings during his junior season there and signed with the Reds for a then-record $9.25 million bonus. Listed at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, he has developed into a workhorse starter. The Reds stand at 43-52 and sit in last place in the National League Central.

Their offense has scored the second-fewest runs in the league, and Burns accounts for more than a quarter of the team's wins.