Braves Rumors: 3 high-end rentals, 2 extension candidates to target in trades

Braves trade targets No. 2: Corbin Burnes will cost the world, but is also worth it

Even with the possibility that guys like Dylan Cease or Shane Bieber could end up on the trade block in the 2023 season, the white whale of the deadline is undeniably Corbin Burnes.

It might seem strange that the Brewers would even consider trading the bonafide ace of their pitching staff, but it’s a situation they might’ve painted themselves into a corner with. They went into a relatively ugly arbitration hearing with the former NL Cy Young winner this offseason and Burnes left not feeling any sort of love toward Milwaukee.

With just 2024 remaining with club control for the Brewers on Burnes’ contract, if the pitcher indeed has no plans of staying in Milwaukee long term, then they could be in a very similar situation to the one they found themselves with regarding closer Josh Hader, who was ultimately traded to the Padres.

It’s no exaggeration to say that Burnes has been one of the best pitchers in baseball in recent years. This season, he’s posted a 3.36 ERA and 1.08 WHIP for the year, but even that is actually a bit down by his standards with an ERA below 3.00 and WHIP at 1.02 or below in each of the previous three seasons.

Because the Brewers don’t necessarily have to trade Corbin Burnes, the Braves targeting him would be quite costly, most likely needing to include several of the team’s top prospects such as Vaughn Grissom and Jared Shuster, just to begin with.

Having said that, with the flexibility to not only add another true ace to the pitching staff and also have the opportunity to work out a long-term deal over the next year and a half with the 28-year-old, it’s an option that can’t go unexplored for Anthopoulos and the Braves.