Braves rumors: Chipper on Wash, surprise waiver claim, Brewers trade chatter
By Mark Powell
Braves rumors: Is a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers looming?
The Milwaukee Brewers teardown is underway. The departure of Craig Counsell is the first of many expected moves by Brewers management this offseason to cut payroll and expedite a rebuild of sorts. Corbin Burnes and Freddy Peralta are two pitchers who could be moved, even though both have at least another year left on their contracts.
Burnes is the more notable player here. He was heated after going to arbitration with Milwaukee last spring.
“There’s no denying that the relationship was definitely hurt from what (transpired) over the last couple weeks. There’s really no way to get around that,” Burnes said at the time. “When some of the things that are said … they basically put me in the forefront of the reason why we didn’t make the postseason last year. That’s something that probably didn’t need to be said.”
Burnes will go through that again early in 2024, and likely become a free agent after the season. A long-term deal in Milwaukee would be considered a surprise. Peralta, meanwhile, has three years left on his deal, but his value will never be higher. At his best, Peralta could be a No. 2 starter with room to improve.
The Braves need pitching. Despite the return of Charlie Morton, Max Fried will be a free agent after next season and Kyle Wright is out for all of 2024. Bryce Elder fell off a cliff at the end of last year. SportsTalk ATL floated some names in potential trades for Peralta and Burnes, notably Elder, Vaughn Grissom, A.J. Smith-Shawver and even Dylan Dodd.
If Atlanta wants to improve its rotation in a big way this offseason, maybe they should take a look in Milwaukee's direction.