Brewers’ Corbin Burnes relationship with team ‘definitely hurt’ after talks in arbitration hearing

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Discussions during the arbitration hearing between All-Star Corbin Burnes and the Milwaukee Brewers seemed 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 is set to earn $10.1 million this season, instead of the $10.75 million salary he was pushing for.

However, during the process the right-hander revealed that the words the team used during the proceedings left him feeling disrespected.

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Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Corbin Burnes throws against the Reds on Sept. 24, 2022, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean, File)

The 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner attended his case and came away with feelings that were far from pleasant.

"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 reporters at spring training in Phoenix. "There’s no denying that the relationship is definitely hurt from what (transpired) over the last couple weeks. There's really no way of getting around that.".

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Burnes has a 35-19 career win-loss record with a 3.21 ERA. He has to wait until after the 2024 postseason concludes to enter free agency

"You kind of find out your true value," the right-hander said. "You think you work hard for seven years in the organization, and five years with the big-league team, and you get in there and basically they value you much different than what you thought you’d contributed to the organization.

"They won it. But when it came down to winning or losing the hearing, it was more than that for me."

Burnes also shared that from his perspective the organization blamed him for the Brewers failing to qualify for 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 in compiling a 12-8 record with a 2.94 ERA. "We can go about a hearing without having to do that."

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The arbitration process usually involves a player and a team each submitting an amount of money they believe the athlete should be paid based on past performance. The team usually employs an analyst who draws conclusions that typically push back on the player being paid the higher proposed figure.

Milwaukee Brewers' Corbin Burnes throws during spring training on Thursday, Feb. 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 player involved. It is never easy to present a case against a member of the Brewers family.

"I’d 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 major 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 Sept. 24, 2022, in Cincinnati. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

When a player and a team are unable to reach a settlement, the case goes to a hearing. Anytime a player, in this case Burnes, opts to attend their own proceeding there is the risk of hearing unflattering remarks.

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"There was no attacking of character or the person who I was," Burnes said. "But just some of the stuff that was said, that definitely didn’t need to be said, is something that I think kind of disappointed everyone."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.