Corbin Burnes Trade Update: Top 5 landing spots for Brewers pitchers amid intense battle for Yoshinobu Yamamoto

More than two years after he won the NL Cy Young Award, pitcher Corbin Burnes remains one of MLB's top arms. However, a divergence is emerging between the money that Burnes is worth and the sum that his team, the Milwaukee Brewers, will be able to pay.

Entering his third arbitration-eligible year, the 29-year-old Burnes is expected to earn about $14.1 million in 2023 before he becomes eligible for free agency in 2024. This year, the 6-foot-3 right-hander went 10-8 with a 3.39 ERA over 193.2 innings, earning a seventh-place finish in Cy Young voting.

With his financial demands set to exceed the Brewers' financial constraints next year, it is highly possible that his team could cash in on his value. Here are some possible destinations for Corbin Burnes.

Top five landing spots for Corbin Burnes in free agency

#5. New York Mets

After shedding big-name pitchers such as Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander last year, the New York Mets have been sluggish to address their rotation. Their new president of baseball ops, David Stearns, has been busy and has added Luis Severino to the core, but still, more work needs to be done.

"Corbin Burnes, 84mph 'Fat Joe' Slider." - Pitching Ninja

With Kodai Senga and Jose Quintana headlining the rotation, making a play for Corbin Burnes would allow the Mets some flexibility in the way of starters. They also have plenty of money to spend.

#4. Minnesota Twins

With a 3.82 ERA among starters in 2023, the Minnesota Twins had the lowest figure of all AL rotations last season. However, Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda accounted for most of that success, and both are now gone. The Twins have a long way to go before they can brand themselves as contenders, but picking up an arm like Corbin Burnes might help them get there faster.

#3. Chicago Cubs

For the Chicago Cubs' front office, avoiding another result wherein they miss the postseason in the dying days of the campaign needs to be a priority. Already, Marcus Stroman has left the team, And although youngster Justin Steele continues to mystify, Corbin Burnes is a player who knows the division well and could easily insert himself into a position to succeed.

"Corbin Burnes just became the first Brewers to receive Cy Young votes in four separate seasons" - The Barrel Banter

However, dealing with the Cubs after they stole longtime Brewers manager Craig Counsell in November might be a different challenge for Milwaukee.

#2. San Diego Padres

Losing a Cy Young winner is never easy, but that's exactly what the San Diego Padres had to contend with after Blake Snell declared free agency. Snell's league-best 2.25 ERA was a defensive boon for the Padres, who now need to make up for his absence.

With plenty of young prospects in the mix, trading for Burnes might need to be done on priority if the Padres expect to back up the injury-prone Joe Musgrove as well as the aging Yu Darvish.

#1. Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers are on a buying spree for new starting arms. With the $700 million Shohei Ohtani not expected to pitch until 2025, the team was also blindsided by legal proceedings against Julio Urias continuing. Additionally, Clayton Kershaw's aging state presents further challenges.

After acquiring Tyler Glasnow from the Tampa Bay Rays, the Dodgers should be on the lookout for players exactly like Corbin Burnes. They may need to pay for Burnes with good bats, but surrendering their rotational capacity should be a non-starter for the Dodgers.