Milwaukee Brewers ace Corbin Burnes is one of the best starting pitchers in Major League Baseball. The former National League Cy Young winner is sharp on the mound and is one of the league’s top strikeout artists. But while he’s had a great career, his future in Milwaukee is in doubt.
Burnes is entering the final year of his Brewers contract. He’s poised to earn wherever his arbitration hearing lands on. Spotrac estimates that Milwaukee will pay the right-hander $14.1 million during the 2024 season.
On the free market, Burnes could command serious coin. Milwaukee might behoove themselves to ink the hurler to an extension. However, Burnes balked at discussing a contract extension during a recent opportunity to discuss one.
The Milwaukee right-hander appeared on ‘Foul Territory’ and downplayed extension talks. Per MLB Trade Rumors, Burnes said:
“Being in my shoes, being a year away from [free agency], I think if a trade-and-extension type of deal came up – obviously, every guy that gets this close to free agency ants to test the market to see what your true dollar amount is, see what teams really are in on you. It would have to be something that would just absolutely blow you away to get you away from testing the free agent market and being able to choose where you want to go. I think that’s one thing every player in their career wants to get to. Once you get that six years of service time – which for a lot of guys takes seven, eight, sometimes nine years to get to – you get that chance to test the market and see what your top dollar is.”
That doesn’t sound like a man keen on committing to Milwaukee now. It doesn’t necessarily rule the Brewers out. However, it makes it more unlikely that they would re-sign him. Milwaukee hasn’t always been a big spender, especially compared to its peers. If they got in a bidding war with the New Yorks, Los Angeles, even Chicago, they might slip up and see him go elsewhere.
You’d hate to see that situation happen if you’re the Brewers. But it seems like it might become a reality if Burnes hits the open market.
