Despite winning 92 games and the NL Central crown last season, the Milwaukee Brewers are reportedly open to a fire sale. This inclination towards selling isn't because of the front office's lack of belief in its current players' abilities. Rather, the Brewers are looking to maximize the value of their players as trade assets, as they'll be approaching free agency in the very near future and they aren't too willing to splash the cash to keep them in town.
This is the exact problem the Brewers find themselves in with starting pitcher Corbin Burnes. Burnes has been one of the team's best pitchers since 2020, and in 2023, the 29-year-old righty put up yet another comfortably above-average season, with a 3.39 ERA in 193.2 innings of work, which was good for a total of 3.4 WAR, per Fangraphs. However, Burnes is approaching free agency, as 2024 is his last year of team control, which clouds his status with the Brewers in much doubt.
Corbin Burnes trade?
According to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, the Brewers “do not seem to have an appetite for extending him with a contract north of $100 million”. Thus, Corbin Burnes appears likely to be on the way out. And if the Brewers do indeed trade away Burnes, expect them to pursue quality pitching prospects to replenish the farm.
However, timing of any trade involving Burnes will require the Brewers to take a wait and see approach. Bowden added that the Brewers will have to wait for the dust to settle with regards to the pitching market in free agency, with the likes of Aaron Nola, Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery and Sonny Gray available for teams to acquire without giving up prospect capital.
This unwillingness to spend will be frustrating for Brewers fans, especially when they're not on the hook for much long-term salary, per Spotrac. Most of their core players are currently arbitration-eligible, with Corbin Burnes being one of those players. Surely there could be room for a long-term deal in their books, especially when Christian Yelich's contract is the only huge long-term commitment the team has on its payroll. But now, it appears as though the product the Brewers will be fielding in 2024 will be vastly different to that of their division-winning 2023 team.