3 Milwaukee Brewers stars who won't be back after Corbin Burnes trade
By Mark Powell
The Milwaukee Brewers traded Corbin Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday night for a package of two MLB-ready prospects and the No. 34 pick in this year's draft. Those prospects, SS Joey Ortiz and LHP D.L. Hall, were both blocked from playing major roles on this year's Orioles teams, which speaks to the depth of Baltimore's system given they were formerly top-100 prospects.
FanSided's Chris Kline graded this trade an A from the Orioles perspective. They get a year of Burnes for expendable players, and should still have the best farm system in baseball. Hall and Ortiz were the Orioles No. 5 and No. 6 prospects, respectively.
"The Orioles are loaded with promising young pitchers, such as Kyle Bradish and Grayson Rodriguez, but the lack of a true No. 1 ace to anchor the rotation was a key reason for their premature postseason exit. Burnes has high-level experience and he will give the Orioles a bankable workhorse once the playoffs arrive. And yes, the playoffs will arrive for this group."
Milwaukee has two choices after trading away arguably their best player. They can either contend with the group they have in a wide open NL Central, or continue turning over a new leaf and retool. Should they choose the latter, these three Brewers stars could be on their way out next.
3. Could the Brewers trade Willy Adames next?
The interest in Brewers shortstop Willy Adames has died down of late, with MLB insider Jon Morosi even reporting that a trade before the season is unlikely. However, with Burnes now gone, the Brewers could be more inclined to press the reset button on Adames. This is doubly true since one of the players they acquired -- Joey Ortiz -- is younger and could easily replace his production.
Trading Adames would provide Ortiz a spot in the Opening Day lineup, and rid the Brewers of any looming distraction that comes with rumors for their starting shortstop in spring training. Adames value has taken a hit in recent years, as he went from an All-Star caliber player in 2021 to slashing .217/.310/.407 in 2023. His power remains a constant, however, as he hit 31 home runs in 2022 and 24 more in 2023.
Adames was once rumored as a possible throw-in to the Burnes trade to sweeten the pot, if you will. Now that Burnes is gone, the Brewers will have to settle for less if they are to trade away their shortstop.