Corbin Burnes Trade Breakdown: Who Won?

Trade Details: According to Jeff Passan of ESPN,

Orioles Get: Corbin Burnes

Brewers Get: Joey Ortiz, DL Hall, 34th Pick in MLB Draft

Breakdown: The Orioles are getting a guy in Corbin Burnes that they need badly to bolster their rotation, and grab the ace they have been searching for. This trade indicates even further what we already knew, the O's are going for it with the best young core in baseball coming off their ALDS loss. Burnes has racked up 4 straight top 10 CY Young seasons in the NL and won it in 2021. According to Fangraphs Pitching WAR, Burnes would have been their second best pitcher last year behind Kyle Bradish. The addition of Corbin Burnes slots the O's rotation in the top 10 in my opinion. 

The Brewers are losing their ace a week after signing Rhys Hoskins to bolster their offense. From the Brewer's point of view, I believe that they made this trade because they had no intention or belief that Burnes would be staying in Milwaukee after 2024, his contract year. So, what did the Brewers get in return? The headline of their return is Joey Ortiz. Joey Ortiz is a 25 year old second baseman that has posted above an .800 OPS three years in a row in the minors. In 33 ABs in the majors this season, he had 7 hits with 1 XBH driving in 4 runs. DL Hall is the other prospect that they got in return, he is a 25 year old LHP that has thrown 33 innings in the MLB. His fastball is his best pitch at 96 mph and he throws a combination of breaking balls. Many around the industry are high on Joey Ortiz, while DL Hall has question marks on whether or not he projects as a starter in the MLB. Hall has shown great things out of the bullpen and has only 1 MLB start under his belt, but was primarily a starter in the minors. I think that the Brewers will look to use him in the rotation until the wheels fall off and transfer him back to the pen. Only time will tell with Hall.

My Opinion: I am a bit surprised that the Brewers did not have any offers that were better than the one from the O's. With that in mind, I think that this is still a mostly even trade, but I'm giving the slight edge to Baltimore. I am a bit confused as to why the Brewers are simultaneously selling and buying, but it does go back to my statement earlier that the Brewers had to get something out of Burnes rather than letting him walk in free agency. I am still confident that the Brewers will make a good charge in winning the NL Central. Overall, this is a bit confusing trade but both sides seem to have got what they were looking for and the O's have a guy that can win them multiple playoff games this season and consider bringing him back for the 2025 season. 

Jaxon Brunk