3 Brewers Who Could Be Traded Next After Corbin Burnes
By Jovan Alford
The Milwaukee Brewers shook up their roster Thursday night, trading ace Corbin Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles for left-handed pitcher DL Hall, infielder Joey Ortiz, and the 34th overall pick.
Brewers fans weren’t surprised to see the team move on from the former NL Cy Young award winner, as Burnes’ name has been floated in trade rumors this offseason. However, you could make the case that Milwaukee should’ve received better prospects in return for Burnes, who has been one of the best starting pitchers in the National League.
With Burnes on his way to Baltimore, the Brewers’ chances to win the NL Central this season have significantly dropped. Milwaukee now has +850 odds on FanDuel Sportsbook to win the division, putting them behind the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, and St. Louis Cardinals.
Nonetheless, if the Brewers were to start the season slow, they could make more trades this summer as they rebuild towards the future. Below, we’ll look at a few players who could be traded next by the deadline after the team sent Burnes to the AL East.
1. Freddy Peralta
Without Burnes, Peralta now elevates to the ace of the Brewers’ pitching staff. The 27-year-old didn’t have the best start to the 2023 season as he had a 5-7 record, 4.70 ERA, and allowed 16 home runs through 17 starts.
However, Peralta looked like a much better starting pitcher in the second half en route to getting the Brew Crew into the postseason. The right-handed pitcher produced a 7-3 record, 2.81 ERA, and only gave up 10 home runs. He also held opponents to a .184 batting average, which was a drastic change from the first half (.234).
If that Peralta shows up this season and Milwaukee isn’t competing for a wild-card spot, they get a nice haul in return for the 27-year-old. Peralta has a base salary of $5.5M this season but has two club options in 2025 and 2026.
Outside of Peralta, there isn’t a ton of upside and excitement surrounding the Brewers’ starting rotation, so he’s their best trade piece this summer.