Chicago Cubs Signing Superstar Pitcher Would Be Rival's 'Worst Nightmare'

The Chicago Cubs bringing in this superstar would be the 'worst nightmare' of a rival team, according to one analyst.

Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Things did not work out the way anyone had hoped in the first season of the Craig Counsell era for the Chicago Cubs as the team matched last season's 83-79 record and finished six games out of the wild card race as well as ten games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central.

After the Brewers controversially let Counsell walk and the Cubs made him the highest-paid manager in league history, it's Milwaukee that easily claims the division once again under new manager Pat Murphy and increases their win total from 92 to 93. Moving forward, Counsell's squad will look to make improvements this offseason in order to try to compete with the team that has won the Central in three of the last four seasons. There's one move in particular that Christopher Kline of FanSided described as the 'worst nightmare' for Milwaukee if the Cubs could pony up the cash.

Right-handed pitcher Corbin Burnes will undoubtedly be the most sought after arm on the market and could see a contract that nears $300 million. Burnes is coming off another huge season after the Brewers dealt him to the Baltimore Orioles last winter. In his first season in Baltimore, Burnes went 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA and 181 strikeouts, helping to lead the Orioles back to the postseason.

Burnes spent the first six years of his career in Milwaukee and was named the NL Cy Young in 2021. With the hurler set to enter the open market after this season, the Brewers got what they could for him, and Burnes delivered another great season for Baltimore.

Kline pointed out that while Burnes may command more than the Cubs are willing to spend, he obviously has a close relationship with Counsell with the two spending the entirety of Burnes' Brewers career together. Not only would Burnes obviosuly bolster a rotation that was already ranked No. 10 in the league in team ERA and give the team a true ace, but it would be absolutely torturous to Brewers fans to have to see him in a Cubs uniform.

With the entire division still chasing Milwaukee, opening up the checkbook for Burnes would be a spectacular move for a Chicago team that has not made the playoffs since 2020.