Corbin Burnes' Trade Value Too Rich for Brewers to Ignore amid Latest MLB Rumors

The Milwaukee Brewers have cracked the MLB playoff field in five of the past six seasons.

They are talented enough to make that stretch six out of seven during the 2024 campaign, which might make the idea of trading away ace Corbin Burnes this offseason feel laughable or even unthinkable.

Remember, though, the best baseball move isn't always the best business decision.

Milwaukee must make a business decision with Burnes soon, since free agency will await him after the upcoming season. He could be less than a year away from pricing himself out of the Badger State anyway, which is why "most believe the Brewers will trade him this year, either before or during the season," per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.

The Brewers shouldn't need to drag this out. Not when doing so could diminish Burnes' trade value, potentially setting up a scenario in which Milwaukee loses its best player and collects only pennies on the dollar in return.

He's worth more in a deal now than he would be during the season. Beyond having him around for a full season and being able to work him into the fold during spring training, whichever team acquires him would also get the option of making him a qualifying offer, an option that wouldn't be possible after an in-season trade.

Plus, the pitching market could absolutely erupt as soon as the Yoshinobu Yamamoto sweepstakes are decided. Teams that fall short in that bidding war might turn their attention toward Burnes in a hurry.

His market is already robust. The Los Angeles Dodgers "could be in play," per Feinsand, who added that the New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers "are among the other teams that might try to deal for Burnes depending on what happens with Yamamoto."

Truth be told, just about anyone with win-now intentions for next season and an itch for pitching almost assuredly has some interest in Burnes.

He has topped 165 innings in each of the past three seasons and finished each campaign among the top-10 vote-getters for NL Cy Young. His 2023 effort was probably his least impressive of this stretch, which speaks volumes to how dominant he's been since his numbers this past season included a 3.39 ERA, an NL-best 1.07 WHIP and 200 strikeouts in 193.2 innings.

The Brewers, who hope to be competitive again next season, would have a harder time doing so without Burnes. So, their hesitation to let him go is understandable in that aspect.

Once they start weighing the bigger picture, though, that's when a Burnes trade could become the obvious move to make.

And they probably know that. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal noted the Brewers "are willing to trade (Burnes) but only for the proverbial right price."

Milwaukee can and should demand top dollar for Burnes. The fact multiple teams might meet that asking price is the reason a trade looms as a painful but necessary move to make.