The Milwaukee Brewers are facing a difficult decision regarding whether to trade starting pitcher Corbin Burnes, but may hold off on a deal for one notable reason.
The Brewers may decide to keep Burnes going into the 2024 season because owner Mark Attanasio wants to avoid a repeat of the backlash that came with the team’s 2022 trade of Josh Hader, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Attanasio still wants to try and compete in 2024 as well.
There are other issues the Brewers are trying to sort out as well. The trade market for starting pitching is not robust right now, as multiple quality free agents remain available. In addition, Burnes has a significant projected salary for 2024, and is seen as unlikely to be interested in a contract extension, as he is a Scott Boras client.
The Brewers could wait and try to trade Burnes at the deadline if they are not competitive by then, but there is a running risk of injury or underperformance.
The situation leaves Milwaukee with a tough decision. Trading Burnes now would make sense, and reports have certainly suggested that they are open to it. Attanasio’s concern about backlash now is a bit strange, however. The biggest reason for the negative response to the Hader trade was that it was done in the middle of the 2022 season with the Brewers firmly in contention, not the offseason.
Burnes, the 2021 NL Cy Young winner, went 10-8 with a 3.39 ERA in 32 starts for Milwaukee last season.
