Milwaukee Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski is one of Major League Baseball’s best pitchers. Currently, he has the fastest average fastball in the league at 100.5 mph. If you look just two spots below that, you will find Chase Burns of the Cincinnati Reds.
Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported that the Reds and Burns have agreed to a 7-year contract extension worth $105 million. That comes out to a $15 million AAV, which sets a new baseline for a potential extension for Misiorowski.
Jacob Misiorowski and Chase Burns: A Tale of Two Aces
GettyCINCINNATI, OHIO – JUNE 24: Chase Burns #26 of the Cincinnati Reds makes his MLB Debut while pitching in the first inning against the New York Yankees at Great American Ball Park on June 24, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images)
Burns and Misiorowski are comparable by more than just age; Burns is only 23. But rather, they are near each other on many of the leagues’ leaderboards.
Misiorowski has a 13.54 K/9, and Burns is ten spots below with a 10.34. Burns has a 2.54 ERA, and his division counterpart has a 1.62, the best in the league. The Reds’ young starter is a master of getting out of jams with a left-on-base percentage of 87.4%. Meanwhile, Misiorowski leaves 81.9% of runners on.
The pair are dominating this season, and with the usually cheap Reds handing a bag of cash to their young pitcher, maybe the Brewers look to do the same.
Misiorowski should cost a bit more than Burns, and knowing that, the price may work in his favor in getting a long-term contract for a good chunk of money. More and more teams are giving out contracts that buy out arbitration years and into the first couple of free agent years for their young stars. The Brewers did it with Jackson Chourio before he even made his major league debut.
Brewers Stingy Tendencies
GettyST LOUIS, MISSOURI – APRIL 1: Freddy Peralta #51 of the New York Mets delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals in the first inning at Busch Stadium on April 1, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
Milwaukee has not been known to give out long-term contracts to its pitchers in recent years. They traded away both Corbin Burnes and Freddy Peralta rather than locking them in long term, but Misiorowski has a higher ceiling than both of them. If any of their arms were to change their pattern, he would be the one. The Brewers’ right-hander is one of the league’s best strikeout artists and is knocking on the door of throwing the fastest pitch in MLB history.
The Brewers moved on from Burnes ahead of his age-29 season, and did the same with Peralta ahead of his age-30 season. Misiorowski is 24 years old and is still in his pre-arbitration years. He will become a free agent following the 2031 season.
Peralta and Burnes both received Cy Young award votes the year prior to the Brewers moving on. They typically choose to sell high on their starting pitchers and maximize the return they can get. Misiorowski is still a few years away from being in rental territory, so an extension into his free agent years could make sense. The team could opt to ride out his team-friendly pre-arbitration contracts before making that decision.
If the Brewers go into the arbitration years with their right-hander, they could find themselves in the same scenario as the Detroit Tigers. Detroit went to arbitration with two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal last winter and lost its case. This resulted in Skubal receiving a $32 million payday after winning the arbitration case. A contract similar to Burns’s is much more team-friendly than if the Brewers were to lose a similar case.
Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski Value Gets Update Amid Extension of Reds Ace Chase Burns