Giants Predicted To Win Bidding War For Ex-Brewers $200M-Plus Cy Young Winner

The former Milwaukee hurler could be on the move again

Jul 14, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; San Francisco Giants hat and glove on the bench against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers would love to be involved in a heavily contested bidding war for a former homegrown star this offseason but sadly, they don't have the capital to compete.

Unfortunately, the Brewers have the league's smallest market, so it's not unusual to see former Milwaukee top prospects leave for more lucrative deals elsewhere once they approach their first stab at the free-agent market.

Consequently, the Brewers must sit and watch big-market clubs, such as the San Francisco Giants, pursue a former Milwaukee star for what could be one of the league's most significant pitching deals.

"Per (Mark) Feinsand and Jon Heyman of the New York Post, two names keep coming up on Corbin Burnes' corner of the rumor mill," Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer wrote Thursday. "One is the (Toronto) Blue Jays. The other is the Giants. Neither is wrong to be circling Burnes, but Toronto's rotation is already set with Kevin Gausman and José Berríos up top. The Giants, on the other hand, have Logan Webb and a hole where Blake Snell used to be."

Burnes's projected market value is roughly $200 million over a seven-year deal but after New York Yankees southpaw Max Fried landed a $218 million deal, the former Milwaukee ace should undoubtedly cost more than once thought.

"Burnes himself has one good reason to consider the Giants, and it has to do with Oracle Park," Rymer continued. "It's a pitcher-friendly stadium in general, and especially so when it comes to keeping balls in the yard. This wouldn't matter as much if Burnes was still a top-tier strikeout artist, but those days have passed. Since 2021, he's gone from the 97th to the 51st percentile in strikeout rate. This is not to imply that Burnes is now a bad pitcher, but rather that he needs more advantages than he used to. And to this end, the Giants can offer him a good defense with a familiar face in addition to a huge home yard."

The 2021 National League Cy Young winner deserves to be one of the league's highest-paid pitchers after dominating as a starter the five previous seasons, during which he played for the Brewers and Baltimore Orioles.

The Giants are looking to make a splash in the highly competitive NL West next season and landing Burnes -- the top free-agent pitcher to hit the market this winter -- would certainly give San Francisco a better chance at stealing the division title from the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

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