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Diamondbacks right-hander Brandon Pfaadt was back home in Louisville when he woke up and looked at Instagram to see a post that free agent Corbin Burnes had signed with Arizona overnight.

¡°That was the first thing I saw in the morning,¡± Pfaadt said. ¡°And I was like, ¡®Wow, that came out of nowhere.¡¯ I think it caught everybody by surprise. That's a huge signing for us. It just helps us even more. We already had what I thought was a good team and this just adds to it.¡±

Outfielder Jake McCarthy also got the news of the signing from the official MLB Instagram account and had a similar reaction.

¡°My first thought was, ¡®Is this real?¡¯¡± McCarthy said. ¡°I wondered if I was getting fooled by a fake account. I figured there were a few options that he was deciding between, but I didn¡¯t think we were one of them.¡±

Burnes shocked the baseball world -- and his new teammates -- when he signed a six-year, $210 million deal with the Diamondbacks.

Aside from the fact that they think Burnes can help them win even more games, Pfaadt and McCarthy each have added reasons to be excited that the former NL Cy Young Award winner will be a teammate.

¡°I¡¯ve faced that guy a bunch,¡± McCarthy said. ¡°And I can tell you I¡¯m very happy he¡¯s on my team now so I don¡¯t have to. You can ask the guys in our lineup -- he¡¯s not a fun at-bat. I mean, I know we¡¯ve beaten him a couple of times, but that¡¯s a guy you want facing the other team, not facing your lineup. It¡¯s a move that obviously makes us a lot better.¡±

Pfaadt is a student of the game and has taken full advantage of the opportunity to pick the brains of co-aces Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly since making his debut in 2023. Burnes gives him another valued resource.

¡°I¡¯ve really learned a lot being around Zac and Merrill,¡± Pfaadt said. ¡°I looked up to those guys and watched them day in and day out so I¡¯m looking forward to having another guy to look at too.¡±

Burnes¡¯ signature pitch is a cut fastball and that¡¯s a pitcher that Pfaadt, who was the only member of the team¡¯s Opening Day rotation to stay healthy for the full season in 2024, is looking to add to his repertoire.

¡°That¡¯s a pitch that I¡¯ve been messing with for a while,¡± Pfaadt said. ¡°So, maybe by the end of the year I¡¯ll be throwing Corbin Burnes¡¯ cutters.¡±