Dylan who? 4 more moves Braves can make for starting pitching help
By John Buhler
2. Trade for Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Corbin Burnes
As with Shane Bieber, Milwaukee Brewers ace Corbin Burnes is entering the final year of his contract. He will hit free agency next winter. Burnes has been a perennial All-Star for the Brew Crew the last few years, earning the NL Cy Young during his breakout season in 2021. Milwaukee had been highly-competitive during his team with the team, but with Craig Counsell out, this team could be rebuilding.
Burnes will not turn 30 until late October, but that is always a tricky number when it comes to Anthopoulos trading for, signing, or extending a certain player, especially when it comes to starting pitchers. To me, Burnes is one of the rare exceptions where you just find a way to make it work and bring him onto your team. By bringing him into the fold, Atlanta could have the best staff in baseball.
While Milwaukee is expected to pull back considerably this season, adding an arm of Burnes' caliber during his contract year could be huge for the Braves' chances of thwarting rival teams like the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL hierarchy. Of course, Anthopoulos may only trade for someone like Burnes if he has assures that his arm will hold up and would sign an extension.
More so than adding Bieber or Framber Valdez, trading for Burnes would be a total game-changer.