Reds’ Chase Burns on $105 million extension: ‘A very, very easy decision’

DENVER — Sitting in the visitors clubhouse at Coors Field on Saturday morning, Cincinnati Reds reliever Sam Moll looked over the contract his teammate, right-hander Chase Burns, had just signed.It was an impressive document for sure. Ten pages long, with the key terms on the eighth page — seven years, $105 million, including a $2 million signing bonus. Still, Moll had notes.“He was giving me a hard time,” Burns said. “He just wanted to pick at me. It was funny.”Everyone has an opinion on a contract after it’s signed, whether it’s too much, too little or too big of a risk. But whatever the consensus take on any deal is, the only views that matter are those of the entity that guarantees payment and the one that receives it.MLB cracks down on using AI in dugoutsIn this case, both sides — the 23-year-old Burns and the Reds organization, represented by president of baseball operations Nick Krall — were happy about the deal that was first reported Thursday and finalized Saturday morning.“I think it’s more than an organization for me,” Burns said. “It’s family. I want to win a championship here. I can’t thank the city of Cincinnati enough. It was a very, very easy choice.”The extension kicks in next season and buys out all of Burns’ arbitration years and his first two years of free agency.“We think the sky’s the limit for him, and we’re excited to have him under control for the next seven years,” Krall said.Burns said he and the Reds began negotiating about a month ago when the team visited New York to play the Yankees, and they came to terms during the All-Star break. Both sides agreed to the deal Wednesday night, and it took until Saturday to finalize the details.The extension comes exactly two years to the day that Burns signed with the team for a then-record $9.25 million signing bonus. In addition to a $2 million signing bonus, Burns’ new contract pays him $2.5 million next season. He’ll make $8 million in 2028, $12.5 million in 2029, $15 million in 2030, $17 million in 2031, $23 million in 2032 and $25 million in the final year of the deal.