The Brewers showed no inclination to trade ace Corbin Burnes this winter. But after upsetting the right-hander via the arbitration process (in a case that looked like a slam-dunk loser for them, but turned out to be a shocking, nonsensical winner), one has to ponder whether they’ve long-term plans for him.
The Brewers have been hit harder than most teams by the pandemic, since they’ve concerning the worst TV contract and depend on gate receipts. But it surely seems hard to assume they’d risk upsetting their best pitcher, as they apparently have, in the event that they were planning an extension.
Arbitration is a bitter process, and Burnes’ case is Exhibit A. It makes little sense he lost since he deserved the very same $455,000 raise Shane Bieber got after a mainly an identical season (each were seventh in Cy Young voting), which might have put him over the midpoint between $10.01 million he got and the $10.75M he sought. And it makes even less sense the Brewers put saving just a few hundred grand over their ace pitcher.
“There’s no denying that the connection is unquestionably hurt from what transpired,” Burnes told Brewers writers in Arizona. “You learn your true value within the organization.”
Free agent Yuli Gurriel is telling folks he wants a guaranteed deal. So he may wait it out. Anibal Sanchez is also holding out hope for a guaranteed deal. …
Potential landing spots for Zack Britton include the Dodgers, Angels and Rangers. The Mets, Giants and Cubs even have been long linked to Britton. …
Bryan Reynolds told writers in Pirates camp he remains to be open to talking a couple of contract, and the Pirates are expected to try again this spring. The Pirates offered about $76M over six years (with no club options), as was reported here. But his side cited Matt Olson ($168M) as a comparison, surely wanting nine figures. The Pirates talked to groups about trades after Reynolds requested one, but much prefer to increase him.
