The Milwaukee Brewers made one of the biggest trades of the offseason, sending two-time All-Star Devin Williams to New York Yankees for Caleb Durbin and Nestor Cortes. While the Brewers are likely not done adding talent to their roster, the rest of their trades likely won’t be as noteworthy.
Indeed, Milwaukee is known for finding agents or trade targets at no bargain prices, acquiring them at low prices, and then getting more out of them than anyone could have predicted. For a diminutive market team like the Brewers, this is the only way it can consistently compete.
Other National League contenders, most notably Milwaukee’s division rivals the Chicago Cubs, have much deeper pockets and can sign almost any free agent they want. Apparently, one former Brewers All-Star is on their radar.
Former Milwaukee Brewers ace Corbin Burnes may sign with the Chicago Cubs
The Cubs have recently made some huge trades of their own. First, they acquired All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros. Last year, he hit .289/.408/.585 with 23 home runs and 49 RBI in just 78 games for the Astros, while making his third straight All-Star team. In 2023, he hit .284/.369/.517 with 29 home runs and 112 RBI in 157 games.
To make room for Tucker in the bullpen, Chicago traded former NL MVP Cody Bellinger to the Yankees.
After winning just 83 games in a season in which many predicted they would win the NL Central, the Cubs are really trying to build a winner for former Brewers manager Craig Counsell, who is the highest-paid captain in baseball.
Tim Kelly z Bleacher Report believes Chicago’s signing Corbin Burnes In free agency he could facilitate the Cubs top the division:
“Considering the Chicago Cubs only won 83 games a year ago, it seems like they should be higher on this list. A rotation with Burnes, Shota Imanaga and Justin Steele at the top would make them ponderous favorites to win the NL Central in 2025.
– Burnes makes even more sense for the Cubs when you consider they are only guaranteed one season with recently acquired Kyle Tucker. Chicago is also led by Craig Counsell, who managed Burnes during his six years in Milwaukee.
Last season, Burnes was 15-9 with a 2.94 ERA and 1.10 WHIP for the Baltimore Orioles. He obviously knows the NL Central very well after spending the first six seasons of his career in Milwaukee.
Kelly, however, expresses uncertainty whether the Ricketts family, who own the Cubs, will be willing to pay the amount Burnes is seeking on the free agent market. This is certainly an engaging development as Chicago had the seventh-highest payroll in baseball last season.
They also saved over $50 million over the next two years by selling Bellinger to the Yankees. One has to wonder if the Ricketts don’t want to spend their huge free agency dollars on a pitcher like Burnes, who do they want to spend it on?
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