Brewers Open to Additional Trade Conversations Following Corbin Burnes Blockbuster
The Milwaukee Brewers shocked the industry earlier this week, trading 2021 NL Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles for two players (Joey Ortiz, DL Hall) and a 2024 draft pick.
And they might not be finished selling off expiring assets, either.
Most assumed the Brewers had closed off trade conversations surrounding Burnes after signing first baseman Rhys Hoskins to a two-year, $34-million contract last month. Instead, the opposite transpired as he now calls home to the AL East.
Burnes had one year of team control remaining and was unlikely to re-sign with Milwaukee before becoming a free agent after next season. Thus, the front office accepted an offer they felt was sufficient rather than waiting until closer to the 2024 trade deadline.
Ortiz, baseball’s No. 63 top prospect per MLB Pipeline, has primarily played shortstop throughout his young career. But as a plus-defender, the 25-year-old can be deployed anywhere around the infield and is currently slated to open next season at third base.
Hall, too, is someone the Brewers believe can help them in the majors right away. The fellow 25-year-old only comes with 33.0 innings of big-league experience, though he should have a clear path to breaking camp with the team as a back-end starter.
“I wouldn’t at all look at this as any kind of rebuild at all,” Brewers GM Matt Arnold said Thursday regarding his team’s outlook post-Burnes trade. “This is something, in fact, that we think helps us right now and helps us in the future.”
The Brewers aren’t strangers to trading key players close to free agency, just as they did with Josh Hader during the 2022 season – a move that derailed their post-season chances that year. And they wouldn’t have to look far to find another potential trade candidate in a similar position to Burnes.
Shortstop Willy Adames – owed $12.25 million in 2024 – has been at the forefront of trade rumours this off-season as he’ll be a free agent next winter. Like his former teammate, Burnes, the 28-year-old infielder appears unlikely to sign an extension before entering the open market.
With Ortiz in the fold, Milwaukee likely has its shortstop of the future already on the roster, adding to the uncertainty surrounding Adames’ future.
“I’m certainly open to more conversations,” Arnold said. “I certainly wouldn’t shut any conversations down at this point in the offseason.”
There isn’t a ton of urgency for the Brewers to trade Adames before Opening Day, considering he could share the left side of the infield with Ortiz to begin next season. Plus, the type of return they could receive may not differ all that much between now and next summer.
Still, management will almost certainly continue receiving calls regarding the right-handed-hitting infielder over the next few weeks leading up to spring training. The right offer could be just around the corner, just as it was for Burnes.
There’s likely a long list of potential suitors as most clubs could benefit from acquiring Adames’ services, given that he’s a former 30-plus home run hitter and was a three-win player in 2023.
If he’s moved, however, it could alter the dynamic in the NL Central next season. With the Brewers seemingly stepping back, the door could be wide open for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs or Cincinnati Reds to rise to power.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
Photo: Michael Barera. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.