Former Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Corbin Burnes recently signed a massive six year, $210 million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Less than one year ago, Burnes was on the move to the Baltimore Orioles. Here, we review that trade and how it panned out for each side.
Reviewing the Milwaukee Brewers-Baltimore Orioles trade involving Corbin Burnes
In February 2023, the Brewers traded Corbin Burnes to the Orioles. Baltimore knowingly was receiving Burnes on a one year deal, but parted ways with LHP DL Hall. INF Joey Ortiz, and the 34th overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft. The Orioles unexpectedly extended a qualifying offer to Burnes this off-season, which also additionally netted them the 30th overall pick in next years draft.
The Baltimore Orioles secure the No. 30 pick in the 2025 MLB Draft with Corbin Burnes signing with the Diamondbacks.
They will secure the No. 31 pick if/when Anthony Santander signs for north of $50m elsewhere.
— Joe Doyle (@JoeDoyleMiLB) December 28, 2024
How did the Corbin Burnes trade pan out for the Baltimore Orioles?
In 2024, Corbin Burnes provided the Baltimore Orioles with 32 regular season starts and a gem of a postseason game where he pitched eight innings against the Kansas City Royals and allowed just one run. His season ERA was an impressive 2.92 ERA and he finished fifth in Cy Young voting. Yes, his strike out numbers did dip a touch to 23% (career 28%), but he also excelled at limiting the free pass a season ago (6.1% compared to 7% for his career). Technically, this trade is not yet complete as the Orioles gained a high 2025 draft pick as compensation for not being able to sign him in free agency.
How did the Corbin Burnes trade pan out for the Milwaukee Brewers?
Of the players the Brewers directly received in this trade, DL Hall and Joey Ortiz were both MLB contributors a season ago. Hall’s season did not go according to plan as injury and loss of velocity caused him to fall out of the starting rotation and miss significant time. Thankfully, Milwaukee was able to preserve his final minor league option and he will look to rebound from a 2024 campaign where he tossed just 43 innings and had a 5.02 ERA.
On the other hand, Ortiz earned the everyday third base job that included being rookie of the month in May. He excelled defensively, arguably should have been in the running for a gold glove, and also contributed on offense to the tune of a .727 OPS with 11 home runs, 60 RBI, and 11 stolen bases. With the Brewers losing Willy Adames in free agency, Ortiz is the favorite to start at shortstop in 2025.
Lastly, Milwaukee selected Blake Burke with the 34th overall pick in last year’s draft. The power hitting first baseman out of the University of Tennessee is exactly the type of player the Brewers farm system was missing. If the Brewers selection of Burke pans out, he has the potential to be a cornerstone player for years to come.
Follow me on X @tylerkoerth. Follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great up to date sports content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!. We cover the Milwaukee Brewers, Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Bucks, Wisconsin Badgers, numerous other professional sports, and Wisconsin High School Sports. Additionally we provide the latest news coverage on the NFL, MLB, and NBA in which you can follow Gridiron Heroics, Hardwood Heroics, and Homeplate Heroics.
