The MLB free agency period has seen mostly radio silence for the last few months. Sure, there have been some signings, but baseball fans have been largely underwhelmed with the lack of moves being made. That all changed Thursday night with a Corbin Burnes trade, as the Milwaukee Brewers dealt the Cy Young winner to the Baltimore Orioles.
The Corbin Burnes trade immediately cements Baltimore as a true contender. The Milwaukee Brewers, however, now face a tough road ahead to make the playoffs. The Brewers do have a history of winning trades, so let’s take a look at how they did.
Milwaukee Brewers Receive Haul For Corbin Burnes Trade
Corbin Burnes was slated to come into this season on the final year of his contract, and all signs pointed to him not re-signing with the Brewers. Thanks to the Brewers fighting with him over less than a million in arbitration hearings where they blamed him for missing the playoffs, the writing seemed to be on the wall. Burnes himself said that the arbitration hurt his relationship with the club before the start of the 2023 MLB season.
It seemed likely the Brewers would make a Corbin Burnes trade, and they decided now was the right time to pull the trigger. In return, the Brewers netted infielder Joey Ortiz, lefty D.L. Hall, and the 34th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. Let’s take a deeper dive into the two prospects the Brewers received in the trade.
Joey Ortiz (Infielder)
Although the Brewers didn’t hold as much leverage as they did last year, they still got a good return in Joey Ortiz alone. Ortiz is ranked 63rd in the Top 100 Baseball Prospects list and can play multiple positions. While his main role is at shortstop, he has the talent to play third or second base as well. He has been labeled as the best fielder at short in Baltimore’s organization and rarely strikes out.
Although a torn labrum slowed him down early in his career, he looked great last year, slashing a .321/.378/.507 line in Triple-A and had a few stints in the MLB with Baltimore. He should give the Brewers an everyday player at least defensively, and has gained power over the years that could make him a force for years to come.
D.L. Hall (Pitcher)
D.L. Hall was a first-round pick for Baltimore back in 2017 and looked solid in his short time in the majors last year. Hall is a lefty pitcher who will likely be coming out of the pen for the Brewers. In 2023, he had a 2-2 record with a 3.98 ERA with 12 starts over 19 appearances in Triple-A. In the majors, Baltimore used him more as a reliever, where he played even better than he did in the minors. Hall appeared in 18 games and was 3-0 with a 3.26 ERA.
The most exciting part of Hall for Brewers fans is he looked great in last year’s playoffs. He appeared in two games against the Texas Rangers and threw for 3 1/3 innings, surrendering just one hit while striking out six. Considering how potent the Rangers were throughout the postseason, that is certainly nothing to scoff at.
Corbin Burnes Trade Grades
Overall, this is a fantastic trade for both teams. The Brewers get to continue their youth splash and also add a valuable pick in the upcoming draft. The Orioles, on the other hand, get an ace who may just put them over the top this postseason. Although the Brewers now desperately need another starting pitcher to add to their rotation, that shouldn’t be much of a problem with Hyun-Jin Ryu, Mike Clevinger, and others still available. Who knows, they might even decide to kick the tires on one Brandon Woodruff for the future as well.
Orioles: A+
Brewers: A
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