The Baltimore Orioles are acquiring former NL Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, according to multiple reports Thursday night.
It's a shocking move for the defending American League East champions, who went 101-61 last season to fend off the Yankees and others in arguably the most competitive division in baseball.
Despite their success a year ago, the Orioles had to this point largely sat out free agency, doing basically nothing outside of signing reliever Craig Kimbrel.
However, things change quickly, and this reported trade comes just two days after news broke that owner John Angelos had agreed to sell the team to a group led by David Rubenstein for a reported $1.725 billion.
The Orioles are getting one of the top pitchers in the league with the right-handed Burnes. The 29-year-old won the NL Cy Young award in 2021 and has finished in the top 10 in the award's voting in four straight seasons. Last season was also his third straight with 200 or more strikeouts, and in 2022 he led the majors with 243 strikeouts.
Burnes' numbers dipped in 2023 compared to his peak two years prior, but he was still an All-Star and finished eighth in Cy Young voting, posting a 3.39 ERA with 200 strikeouts in 193 2/3 innings. Make no mistake, he is a frontline, workhorse pitcher, something the Orioles have sorely lacked, particularly during the gauntlet that is October baseball.
This is clearly a win-now trade for the Orioles. Burnes will make $15.637 million in his final arbitration-eligible year in 2024 and is scheduled to become a free agent after the season.
In the immediate aftermath of the trade, Baltimore's World Series odds were on the move. At BetMGM, the Orioles' World Series odds moved from +1600 to +1400, their odds to win the AL pennant moved from +800 to +650 and their odds to win the AL East moved from +280 to +250.
Those World Series odds are tied for the sixth lowest among all teams with the Phillies. In the AL pennant market, they remain behind the Astros, Yankees and Rangers. In the AL East race, they remain behind the Yankees.
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