MLB Rumors: Brewers' Corbin Burnes could stick around after Brandon Woodruff injury
The Milwaukee Brewers' season ended with a disappointing loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the wild card round. Several major decisions loom, but few more significant than the future of 2021 Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes.
Burnes has one year of arbitration left on his contract. The Brewers' ace is coming off another dominant season — 10-8 record with a 3.29 ERA and a league-best 1.069 WHIP — but he was involved significantly in trade rumors at the deadline and the small-market Brewers could be inclined to sell high before he demands a lucrative contract extension.
There's only one problem, however, and it could force teams eager to add Burnes to wait until free agency. Trade buzz was immediately silenced when Brian Woodruff suffered a shoulder injury that is expected to keep him out for a significant portion of the 2024 season. With the yang to Burnes' yin out of commission, the Brewers can hardly afford to deal their top arm. Not if the goal is to get back to the playoffs.
FanSided's Robert Murray expressed as much when rounding up offseason rumors for the Baltimore Orioles, who are expected to heavily target pitchers.
"The trade options include right-handers Dylan Cease and Corbin Burnes, though Burnes could be unlikely to be moved considering Brandon Woodruff's injury."
It would appear the Brewers' righty, who has been with the team since 2018 with three All-Star appearances under his belt, is here to stay.
MLB Rumors: Mets spurned by top managerial candidate Will Venable
The New York Mets' search for a new manager continues following the departure of Buck Showalter. New York is coming off a disappointing 75-87 season, despite the league's highest payroll. The Mets also happen to be looking for a new GM under (new) president David Stearns after Billy Eppler stepped down.
New York requested an interview with Texas Rangers associate manager Will Venable, but he declined.
"I talked to them very briefly, but that was at the point where I already had made the decision that I was staying here," Venable told the New York Post.
It shouldn't come as a huge surprise, of course, given the Mets' spotty track record with managers. This is the fifth time in six years that New York is looking for a new voice to lead the locker room. It's hard to lure top coaching candidates to your organization with such a high turnover rate.
Also of note is the looming Craig Counsell factor. Stearns, who is leading the hiring process with owner Steve Cohen, worked with Counsell in Milwaukee. If New York tosses enough money at Counsell, who has not reached terms on an extension with the Brewers, that could solve the Mets' managerial woes for a while.
MLB Rumors: Cubs could target Blue Jays All-Star Matt Chapman
The Chicago Cubs' offseason will revolve around the free agent decision of Cody Bellinger, who is due for a major multi-year extension following his remarkable bounce-back campaign on a one-year deal with Chicago.
Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors estimates Bellinger's price range to be somewhere in the ballpark of $150 million. That could price out the historically frugal Cubs, who tend to avoid the true upper echelon of free agents.
If that is the case, Chicago could search for lineup help in the next tier of free agents. That's when Dierkes mentions the possibility of Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Matt Chapman.
"If Bellinger prices himself out of the Cubs' range and they decide to lean into the elite defender idea, Matt Chapman could be a target. This year, the Cubs had four different players log 150+ innings at third base: Nick Madrigal, Patrick Wisdom, Miles Mastrobuoni, and trade deadline pickup Jeimer Candelario. Madrigal and Mastrobuoni didn't hit enough to fit as regulars at third base, while Wisdom was used as a short-side platoon bat and struck out nearly 37% of the time."
Chicago has several talented defenders on the roster, with Dansby Swanson at shortstop and rookie sensation Pete Crow-Armstrong profiling as the obvious standouts. If Crow-Armstrong replaces Bellinger in left field and the Cubs shore up third base with Chapman — a one-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove — Chicago should have more than enough confidence in the defense's ability to get outs.
The offense is another matter entirely. Chapman is coming off a relatively uninspiring offensive campaign for the Jays (.240/.330/.424, 17 HR, 54 RBI, 509 AB), but he offers a consistent on-base presence. If the Cubs let Bellinger walk, it's going to be hard to find a one-to-one offensive replacement.