The Milwaukee Brewers might have won the arbitration case against their starting pitcher Corbin Burnes, but they got one clearly unhappy player in their clubhouse as a result. Speaking with reporters on Thursday, Burnes said that the way Brewers handled the arbitration hearing “definitely hurt” his relationship with the franchise.
Burnes and Brewers elected to go to arbitration after being unable to agree on the player’s salary for the 2023 MLB season. The 2021 NL Cy Young winner asked for $10.75 million while the team argued he should be paid $10.01 million. The arbitrator ended up siding with the Brewers.
Burnes attended the arbitration hearing and was displeased with some of the arguments the Brewers made while presenting their case.
“Obviously, it’s tough to hear. It’s tough to take. They’re trying to do what they can to win a hearing,” Burnes told the reporters. “There’s no denying that the relationship is definitely hurt from what [transpired] over the last couple of weeks. There’s really no way of getting around that.”
According to Burnes, the Brewers singled him out as the biggest reason why they missed out on playoffs in 2022.
“That’s something that probably doesn’t need be said,” the 28-year-old, who is set to become a free agent after 2024, added.
Burnes wasn’t as efficient in 2022 compared to his Cy Young-winning campaign but still produced a solid season. He finished with a 12-8 record in 33 starts while compiling a 2.94 ERA and career-high 243 strikeouts.
