Brewers' mishandling of Corbin Burnes could lead to revenge tour with division rival

The Milwaukee Brewers have a well-earned reputation of letting players leave once they start getting expensive. Unfortunately, playing in the smallest TV market in all of baseball has consequences and we have already seen this in action just this offseason alone with the departure of Willy Adames as well as the trade that sent Devin Williams to the Yankees. However, last offseason was a slightly different when it came to Corbin Burnes.

Yes, the primary driver for the Brewers trading Burnes to the Orioles was cost. Burnes was about to get $15+ million in arbitration and with Milwaukee's limited payroll, committing that much to a pitcher, a position that is more prone to serious injuries and/or regression than others, was decidedly problematic. Making matters worse was that relations between Burnes and the organization had deteriorated to the point where any hope of an extension had long since evaporated anyways. More on that in a bit.

This offseason, Burnes now finds himself as one of the top arms available and there has been no shortage of speculation as to where he could play in 2025 and beyond. If the most recent rumors prove to be accurate, Burnes could return to the NL Central to torment the Brewers as the division rival Cubs are emerging as a potential candidate to land Burnes according to Bleacher Report.

Brewers' nightmare scenario could come true if Burnes lands with the Cubs

Obviously seeing Burnes, who remains one of the best pitchers in baseball after posting a 2.92 ERA in 32 starts in 2024 after being traded to Baltimore last offseason, end up with the Cubs is among the worst possible outcomes for Milwaukee. Burnes relationship with the Brewers soured after he took offense to how aggressively they argued against him in arbitration. One cannot help but think that he would love to stick it to Milwaukee after things went south and landing with the possible contending Cubs would be a great way to do that.

So far, this is being floated more as a roster fit for the Cubs than an actual rumor. Chicago's ownership hasn't provided much indication that they would be willing to hand out any contract approaching what Burnes is currently demanding. Right now, the Blue Jays and Giants are the betting favorites for Burnes as two clubs that have lots of money and who desperately need to land to land star level talent to remain relevant in their division races.

However, if the Cubs decide to unexpectedly make a push for Burnes, don't be surprised if he strongly considers signing there. Not only is Chicago a big market that has the pieces to make a playoff run especially after trading for Kyle Tucker, but Burnes could easily relish the opportunity to stick it to the team that he feels like did their best to lowball him. The Brewers stance when it came to Burnes may have made sense in a vacuum, but that doesn't mean there isn't consequences.

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