The Los Angeles Dodgers dealt with a rash of injuries to their starting rotation throughout the season and while they still managed to win 100 games and another National League West title, pitching faltered in October.
Clayton Kershaw, Bobby Miller and Lance Lynn combined to allow 13 runs over just 4.2 innings in the NL Division Series. Although the Dodgers faced an immediate deficit in Games 1 and 2, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said the lineup’s struggles were more to blame for getting swept.
Friedman nevertheless said starting pitching was going to be a focus for the Dodgers this offseason.
According to Jack Harris of the L.A. Times, that could encompass the Dodgers pursuing a Corbin Burnes trade with the Milwaukee Brewers if he becomes available:
The Dodgers are expected to pursue former Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes, if the Milwaukee Brewers consider trading their ace right-hander ahead of his final year of team control.
Burnes is coming off a season in which he went 10-8 with a 3.39 ERA, 3.81 FIP and 1.07 WHIP in 32 starts. He led NL pitchers in WHIP, tied for fifth in innings pitched (193.2) and earned a third consecutive All-Star Game selection.
In 2021, Burnes led the Majors in ERA (2.43) and strikeouts per nine innings (12.6) en route to winning the NL Cy Young Award. He followed that up by making an MLB-best 33 starts in 2022 and leading the NL with 243 strikeouts, but it amounted to a seventh-place finish in Cy Young voting.
Will the Brewers trade Corbin Burnes?
Burnes is eligible for salary arbitration a final time before becoming a free agent after the 2024 season. The 29-year-old received a $10 million salary for the 2023 season and is in line for a sizable increase.
That could prompt a small-market team like the Brewers to consider a Burnes trade. But with Brandon Woodruff possibly missing most, if not all of the 2024 season while recovering from surgery to repair the capsule in his right shoulder, it’s conceivable the Brewers may be inclined to at least have Burnes on their roster come Opening Day to lead the pitching staff.
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