Milwaukee Brewers Reportedly Unlikely to Trade Ace Corbin Burnes This Offseason
According to USA Today, teams across the league do not expect the Milwaukee Brewers to sell Corbin Burnes, but the ace could be available before the deadline.
Teams across MLB do not expect the Milwaukee Brewers will deal right-handed pitcher Corbin Burnes this winter, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported Sunday.
Per Nightengale, the belief is that the Brewers aim to reassess their choice at this summer’s trade deadline.
Burnes’ name has often been tossed up as a potential trade target for teams who require high-end starting pitching, such as the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants. Burnes may be due to hit free agency next winter, but the Los Angeles Dodgers notably traded for and extended pending free agent pitcher Tyler Glasnow earlier this offseason.
Back in December, however, Burnes went on Foul Territory and stated he would need to be blown away by a contract offer to pick an extension over entering free agency, even if a prospective deal coming through depended on his commitment to signing.
Burnes has been one of the finest pitchers in baseball since joining the Brewers’ rotation in 2020, finishing top-eight in NL Cy Young voting every year since. He even won the honor in 2021 after leading the league with a 2.43 ERA, 12.6 strikeouts per nine innings and a 6.88 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Over the last four seasons, Burnes is 37-22 with a 2.86 ERA, 0.996 WHIP, 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings and a 14.9 WAR. Burnes finished 10-8 with a 3.39 ERA and 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings in 2023, but he still led the NL with a 1.069 WHIP.
The 29-year-old is a three-time All-Star and might very well be the top pitcher on the open market come November.
For now, it appears as if Burnes will be in Milwaukee’s rotation to start 2024 alongside fellow trustworthy veterans Freddy Peralta and Wade Miley. But with manager Craig Counsell leaving to the Chicago Cubs and former All-Star righty Brandon Woodruff getting non-tendered as a result of his injury concerns, it remains to be seen just how competitive the defending NL Central champion Brewers will be in 2024.
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