The Milwaukee Brewers have reportedly traded 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal was first on the story. In return, the Brewers will receive shortstop Joey Ortiz, left-hander DL Hall, and the 34th overall pick in this year’s MLB draft, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
BREAKING: Orioles close to acquiring Corbin Burnes. Story: https://t.co/FIjwpjhZuI
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 2, 2024
Corbin Burnes Traded to Orioles
In Burnes, the Orioles are getting one of the premier starters in baseball. The 29-year-old righty is a three-time All-Star and won the NL Cy Young in 2021 thanks to a dominant season. In 28 starts that year, Burnes went 11-5 with a major league-best 2.43 ERA, a 0.940 WHIP, a 1.63 FIP (also tops in MLB), and 234 strikeouts in 167 innings. Notably, he also only surrendered seven home runs. For three straight seasons, Burnes has recorded 200 or more strikeouts, including an NL-leading 243 in 2022. He is a shutdown pitcher who can eat up innings when he stays healthy. There will likely be a spot at the top of the O’s rotation waiting for Burnes once the deal becomes official. Since the bullpen will still be without closer Felix Bautista this season, the need for a top-tier starter like Burnes became apparent.
Joining the Brew Crew
Among the haul headed to Milwaukee is Ortiz, who is the sixth-ranked Orioles prospect and 63rd overall on the MLB Top 100. He made his big-league debut last season with Baltimore. In 15 major league games, he hit .212 with a double, four RBI, four runs scored, and a .448 OPS. Of course, he can’t be judged yet solely based on this limited experience. The promise he has shown in the minors makes him someone to keep an eye on in Milwaukee in the years to come.
Hall, a southpaw reliever, made his debut in Baltimore one year before Ortiz. However, he saw few opportunities over his first two seasons, pitching a total of only 33 innings. Still, he showed signs of improvement in 2023 over his debut year. His ERA was nearly cut in half to 3.26 (from 5.93) and accrued a 3-0 record in relief. The fact he’s a lefty could help make the 25-year-old a key piece of the Brewers bullpen in the near future.
Photo Credit: © Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
