The Milwaukee Brewers made a big move on Thursday night, dealing starting rotation stalwart Corbin Burnes. With one year remaining on his deal, the former Cy Young Award winner was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for infield prospect Joey Ortiz, pitcher D.L. Hall, and a competitive balance draft pick.
It marks the end of an era for the Brewers, who were previously led by rotation stars Burnes and Brandon Woodruff. Both have been released, with Woodruff being non-tendered in the offseason.
Here’s a little more on Milwaukee’s acquisitions:
Hall, a 25-year-old Georgia native, made his MLB debut with the Orioles in 2022. He has a lifetime record of 4-1 and an ERA of 4.36. He’s appeared in 29 career games, 28 of them as a relief. There is already chatter about him joining the Brewers’ rotation. That appears logical, given that Burnes, Woodruff, and Adrian Houser have all moved on this offseason.
As for Ortiz, he’s the No. 63 prospect in all of baseball, per MLB.com. The following is an excerpt from his prospect profile:
Since getting drafted, Ortiz has gained a lot of strength, allowing him to frequently post high exit velocities. He has maintained his outstanding bat-to-ball abilities throughout his Minor League career, striking out only 17.2 percent of the time while demonstrating the ability to drive the ball to all fields with solid in-game pop.
There’s never been any question about his ability to defend. He has plus hands, actions, instincts and the ability to slow the game down, not to mention more than enough arm for shortstop. He’s shown the ability to play a plus second base and can even slide over to third, something that could come in handy given Milwaukee’s larger need at the hot corner with Willy Adames handling short…
Ortiz did make his major league debut in 2023 with Baltimore, hitting .212 in 33 at-bats. He hit .321 at Triple-A.c
