The Milwaukee Brewers were part of one of the biggest trades of the offseason, sending two-time All-Star closer Devin Williams to the 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 transactions likely will not be as noteworthy.
Indeed, Milwaukee is known for finding bargain free agents or trade targets, acquiring them for cheap, and then getting more out of them than anyone could have predicted. For a small market team like the Brewers, it is the only way they can consistently compete.
Other National League contenders, specifically Milwaukee’s division rivals, the Chicago Cubs, have much deeper pockets and can sign just about any free agent that they want. One former Brewers All-Star is apparently on their radar.
Former Milwaukee Brewers Ace Corbin Burnes Could Sign with the Chicago Cubs
The Cubs recently made a few big trades of their own. First, they acquired All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros. He hit .289/.408/.585 with 23 home runs and 49 RBI in just 78 games for the Astros last year while making his third-consecutive 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 their outfield, 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 truly trying to build a winner for former Brewers manager Craig Counsell, who is the highest-paid skipper in baseball.
Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report believes that Chicago signing Corbin Burnes in free agency could help put the Cubs over the top in the division:
“Given the Chicago Cubs won just 83 games a year ago, it would seem they should be higher on this list. A rotation with Burnes, Shota Imanaga and Justin Steele at the top of it would make them heavy 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 the 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. Of course, he is very familiar with the NL Central after spending the first six seasons of his career in Milwaukee.
Kelly does express uncertainty, though, that the Ricketts family, who owns the Cubs, will be willing to pay the kind of money Burnes is seeking on the free agent market. This is certainly an interesting development as Chicago had the seventh-highest payroll in baseball last season.
They also saved over $50 million over the next two years by trading Bellinger to the Yankees. One has to wonder if the Ricketts do not want to spend their big free agency dollars on a pitcher like Burnes, who do they want to spend it on?
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