During the introductory press conference for new Orioles outfielder Tyler O’Neill, agent Scott Boras sent what could be seen as a direct message to Baltimore’s ownership group regarding another one of his many clients, right-hander Corbin Burnes.

As he did last week, Boras commended the new ownership group led by billionaire and philanthropist David Rubenstein for showing aggressiveness in the market, leading to the signing of O’Neill on a three-year, $49.5 million deal with an opt-out after 2025. But when asked about the possibility of a reunion between Burnes and Baltimore, Boras placed the onus on ownership to land a player of that caliber.

“Really, this boils down to ownership. When you have competitiveness in a market, ownership has to respond to compete with these fellow owners for elite talents,” Boras said. “It’s something that normally when you’re new to it, it’s not as understood. But you hope the presence of all the information that surrounds the availability of elite players, No. 1 pitchers, they’re just not in free agent markets year-to-year. You’re fortunate when you have a need for one and there’s one in the market that can fulfill that.

“And, ironically, that player has performed well in your market,” Boras continued. “And also, ironically, that player has given you in the postseason exactly what you’d expect from a No. 1. So all those unknowns that are coupled with free agency are known to Baltimore, which gives them more of an insight, and I would assume an aggression to continue to make this team more and more what it needs to be to be at a world championship level.”

Burnes, 30, would clearly be the ace of the Orioles’ rotation, as he was in 2024 after Baltimore acquired him in a trade from Milwaukee. Burnes produced an All-Star season and earned Cy Young Award consideration for producing a 2.92 ERA across 194 1/3 innings.

As Boras said, the Orioles have seen up-close how dominant Burnes can be.

At the winter meetings in Dallas last week, general manager Mike Elias said the Orioles remained interested in a wide array of pitchers on the market. But the availability has waned this month.

The free agent market has already seen a historic deal for one of Boras’ clients, outfielder Juan Soto, who inked a $765 million deal with the New York Mets. The market for starting pitchers, an area of need for Baltimore, has also moved quickly.

Last week, the New York Yankees signed left-hander Max Fried to a deal worth $218 million. Left-hander Blake Snell joined the Los Angeles Dodgers for $182 million. Right-handers Nathan Eovaldi and Luis Severino, as well as southpaw Yusei Kikuchi, have all signed already. And the Boston Red Sox swung a trade for right-hander Garrett Crochet.

Given that market, it is expected that Burnes could attract a larger deal than Fried, perhaps even pushing toward $300 million. Some agents within the industry, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to be candid regarding negotiations, expressed uncertainty whether the Orioles would part with an analytical philosophy that tends to shy away from high-value, high-risk free agent deals.

Burnes remains the top pitcher available. According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, the Orioles are among the teams interested, along with the Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants.

The Orioles could also look at the trade market, with Seattle Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo and San Diego Padres right-hander Dylan Cease as potential targets. Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown said he didn’t expect to trade left-hander Framber Valdez but would listen to offers.

Still, even if the Orioles don’t land Burnes, Boras sees a change in Baltimore when it comes to their approach this winter.

“It’s very clear from the conversations that we’ve had with the new ownership, they are to retain the players they have drafted and brought through the system and are enjoying their success, and also attract the needed potentials that they have to allow them to compete in the very difficult AL East,” Boras said. “I think their overall nature of the franchise for the fan base is really one that is very, very different than it was before.”