The Arizona Diamondbacks made headlines this offseason by signing Corbin Burnes to a six-year, $210 million deal — the largest free-agent contract in franchise history. But before he even threw a pitch for his new club, Arizona stumbled out of the gate with a misstep that rival executives have been quick to criticize. The issue? Miscommunication — or perhaps lack of communication — between manager Torey Lovullo and his new ace.
When the D-backs delayed naming an Opening Day starter until just days before the season began, it created a ripple effect in Burnes’ preparation. Lovullo ultimately went with Zac Gallen to start Opening Day against the Cubs, but by then it was too late to shift Burnes’ meticulously planned spring training schedule to get him ready on short rest for Game 2. As a result, Burnes, a self-proclaimed creature of habit, was bumped all the way to the fifth spot in the rotation and won’t debut until April 1 at Yankee Stadium.
“That was probably a technical error on my part,” Lovullo admitted. “Corbin is a very routine-oriented player, and I had yet to understand that until recently. He’s got a process, and I respect that and I blame myself for not getting to know him.”
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Burnes is known around the league for his intense focus on preparation and structure—a mindset forged after a rocky 2019 season and refined with the help of his personal mental performance coach, Brian Cain. He credits the routine he’s built over the past five years with the turnaround that followed, including a Cy Young campaign and now a nine-figure contract.
“The reason why I’m here today and the pitcher I am is because of those routines,” Burnes explained. “And I brought that up [to the Arizona staff]. I said, ‘The reason you guys signed me, the reason you gave me this contract, is because of this process and that routine. Is that something we want to change the first start of my D-backs tenure?’”
The answer, understandably, was no.
Burnes will now make his Diamondbacks debut under the bright lights of Yankee Stadium on April 1. Though it’s not the soft landing many envisioned for his first start with Arizona, Burnes has a strong track record there, having allowed just one earned run in 13 career innings in the Bronx.
The good news for the Diamondbacks is that lessons have already been learned. Burnes and Lovullo have now discussed communication moving forward, with the ace being looped in for all future scheduling talks.
“Whatever it is, when we kind of map things out… I know kind of weeks in advance what it is,” Burnes said. “So I can kind of fit in my routine.” It was a rocky start to a highly anticipated new chapter, but with the air cleared, the D-backs can now move forward — hopefully with better communication and their ace locked in.
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