The Baltimore Orioles are still making waves after a 10-figure trade and 101 victories in the previous campaign.
The O’s announced on Thursday that they have acquired Corbin Burnes, the 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner, from the Milwaukee Brewers through a deal.
For many years, Burnes has been among the top pitchers in the game. With at least 500 innings pitched, his 2.86 ERA is the lowest of any pitcher since 2020, and his 11.1 K/9 is the second-best in MLB.
Burnes has placed sixth, first, seventh, and eighth in the NL Cy Young Award competition throughout those four seasons.
In each of the previous three seasons, Burnes has received an All-Star designation.
It’s a massive lift for a staff that was a little mediocre the previous year; the Orioles’ starters had an 11th-place 4.11 ERA in the majors. And Kyle Bradish made a significant improvement, cutting his ERA from 4.90 in 2022 during his debut season to 2.83 in the previous one. Following Tommy John surgery, John Means is also expected to miss the entire season.
Thanks to 2023 Rookie of the Year Gunnar Henderson and 2022 runner-up Adley Rutschman, the Orioles won the division last season. In addition, they have Jackson Holliday, the best prospect in baseball, in the minor leagues who is predicted to start at shortstop for the team on Opening Day.
The 34th pick in this year’s MLB Draft, left-handed reliever D.L. Hall, and shortstop prospect Joey Ortiz are all being received by the Brewers in exchange.
The deal was made two days after it was announced that hedge fund owners David Rubenstein and Mike Arougheti would purchase the team from John Angelos for an estimated $1.725 billion. Another expected member of the new ownership group is Cal Ripken Jr.
