Getty If the Dodgers miss out on Yoshinobu Yamamoto, they could shift their focus to a former Cy Young winner.
If the MLB offseason was simply a battle of who generates the most headlines, then the Los Angeles Dodgers would be the easy winners. That’ll happen when you sign Shohei Ohtani to a record-breaking contract and also trade for starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow.
Since Ohtani and Los Angeles agreed to a unique deal that includes an unprecedented amount of deferred money, they’re not done pursuing significant acquisitions. The Dodgers are also perceived as a serious landing spot for Japanese hurler Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reported on December 19 that the organization is preparing an offer of at least $250 million.
While the Dodgers are viewed as one of the favorites to land Yamamoto, what will they do if he chooses to sign with a different team?
Corbin Burnes Could Become a Dodgers Target
During a December 20 segment on MLB Network, Jon Morosi shared thoughts on the Milwaukee Brewers’ current organizational direction. Starting pitcher Corbin Burnes and infielder Willy Adames are both available via trade, according to Morosi.
The insider also said, “If Yamamoto does not go to the Dodgers, I think the Dodgers and Burnes become a potential pairing.”
“If Yamamoto does not go to the Dodgers, I think the Dodgers and Burnes become a potential pairing.”
@jonmorosi gives insight on Brewers trade talks and an overlooked bat on the free agent market. #MLBNHotStove
Burnes would be another frontline addition to the Dodgers’ rotation if this ultimately came to fruition. The right-hander is a three-time All-Star and won the 2021 NL Cy Young Award for Milwaukee.
He’s also consistently been among the league’s best pitchers in recent years. Outside of his award-winning performance, Burnes has finished within the top 10 of voting three other times (2020, 2022 and 2023).
Burnes has appeared in 105 games since the pandemic-shortened season of 2020 (102 starts). Across 622.1 innings, he’s posted a 37-22 record to go along with a 2.86 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 765 strikeouts. Most importantly, the hurler has been durable. He’s made at least 28 starts in each of the last three seasons. After tossing 167 frames in 2021, he followed that up with 202 innings in 2022 and another 193.2 frames in 2023.
What Is Burnes’ Current Contract Situation?
The starting pitcher has become a trade candidate because it’s unlikely that the small-market Brewers will retain him upon reaching free agency. Burnes’ relationship with Milwaukee also took a hit in February of 2023 when he lost his arbitration case.
Instead of earning the $10.75 million salary he wanted, the Brewers paid him $10.01 million. The hurler attended his arbitration hearing and shared the following observation, per ESPN:
“Obviously, it’s tough to hear. It’s tough to take. They’re trying to do what they can to win a hearing. There’s no denying that the relationship is definitely hurt from what [transpired] over the last couple weeks. There’s really no way of getting around that.”
The 2024 season is set to be Burnes’ final campaign before hitting free agency next winter. According to arbitration salary projections from MLB Trade Rumors, the righty is in line to earn $15.1 million.
If the Dodgers were to land him via trade, could he follow the same route as Glasnow and sign an extension? Here’s what Burnes said during an appearance on the Foul Territory show on December 20:
“Being in my shoes, being a year away from [free agency], I think if a trade-and-extension type of deal came up — obviously, every guy that gets this close to free agency wants to test the market to see what your true dollar amount is, see what teams really are in on you. It would have to be something that would just absolutely blow you away to get you away from testing the free agent market and being able to choose where you want to go. I think that’s one thing every player in their career wants to get to. Once you get that six years of service time — which for a lot of guys takes seven, eight, sometimes nine years to get to — you get that chance to test the market and see what your top dollar is.”
“Every guy who gets this close to free agency wants to test the market”
Corbin Burnes says he would have to be blown away by an extension to avoid free agency if he were traded.
His opinion could certainly change if a specific situation presents itself. We’ll just have to see if it does at some point this offseason.