Arguments during the arbitration hearing between All-Star Corbin Burnes and the Milwaukee Brewers appeared to have damaged relations, at least on the pitcher’s side.
Burnes was on the losing end of the salary arbitration case against the Brewers. As a result, the team’s best pitcher will earn $10.1 million this season, instead of the $10.75 million salary he was seeking.
However, during the process, the right-hander revealed that the words used by the team during the process left him feeling disrespected.
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Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Corbin Burnes pitches against the Reds on September 24, 2022 in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean, File)
The 2021 National League Cy Young Award winner attended his case and came away with feelings that were far from pleasant.
«Obviously, it’s hard to listen to. It’s hard to take. They’re trying to do what they can to win an audience,» Burnes told reporters at spring training in Phoenix. «There’s no denying that the relationship is definitely hurt by what (happened) in the last two weeks. There’s really no way around that.»
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Burnes has a 35-19 win-loss record with a 3.21 ERA. He has to wait until after he wraps up the 2024 postseason to enter free agency.
«You discover your true worth,» the right-hander said. «You think you work hard for seven years in the organization and five years with the major league team, and you get there and they basically value you much differently than you thought you had contributed to the organization.
«They won it. But when it came to winning or losing the audience, it was more than that for me.»
Burnes also shared that, from his perspective, the organization blamed him for the Brewers’ failure to make the playoffs last season.
«That’s something that probably doesn’t need to be said,» explained Burnes, who led the National League with 243 strikeouts while compiling a 12-8 record with a 2.94 ERA. «We can go to a hearing without having to do that.»
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The arbitration process typically involves a player and a team each submitting an amount of money they believe the athlete should be paid based on their past performance. The team typically employs an analyst who draws conclusions that typically push back the player who is paid the higher proposed figure.
Corbin Burnes of the Milwaukee Brewers throws during spring training on Thursday, February 16, 2023, in Phoenix, Arizona. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold explained in a statement: “The arbitration process always presents uncomfortable situations for both the club and the player involved. It’s never easy to make a case against a member of the Brewers’ family.
«I would like to reiterate that we view Corbin as one of the leaders of our franchise and value him as an elite talent in the game. Corbin is a significant contributor to the organization both on and off the field, and we look forward to another outstanding season from him.» in 2023″.
Corbin Burnes of the Milwaukee Brewers during the fourth inning against the Reds at Great American Ball Park on September 24, 2022 in Cincinnati. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
When a player and a team cannot come to an agreement, the case goes to a hearing. Any time a player, in this case Burnes, chooses to attend his own procedure, there is a risk of hearing unflattering comments.
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«There were no attacks on the character or the person that I was,» Burnes said. «But just some of the things that were said, that definitely didn’t need to be said, is something that I think everyone was disappointed in.»
Associated Press contributed to this report.