Reds Agree to Seven-Year, $105 Million Extension With All-Star Pitcher Chase Burns

The Cincinnati Reds agreed to a seven-year, $105 million contract extension with right-hander Chase Burns, sources told ESPN. Burns, 23, is 11-1 with a 2.54 ERA this season and earned his first All-Star selection. The extension is the largest guarantee given to a pitcher with less than four years of service.

The agreement includes no club options or deferrals and will run through 2033. It buys out two of Burns' free-agent years. The deal ranks as the third-largest in Reds history, behind contracts previously given to Joey Votto and Ken Griffey Jr.

Burns' fastball averages 97.9 mph, the second-highest among major-league starters. His 31.7 percent swing-and-miss rate ranks seventh in MLB. He was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft out of Wake Forest after transferring from the University of Tennessee.

In his debut season he recorded 67 strikeouts in 43⅓ innings. Burns 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.