Corbin Burnes says relationship with Brewers is 'definitely hurt' after arbitration hearing

The Milwaukee Brewers beat Corbin Burnes in Wednesday's arbitration hearing, but after the starting pitcher's comments on Thursday, it's fair to ask if there was really a winner.

In an interview with MLB.com's Adam McCalvy at the Brewers' spring training facility in Phoenix, Burnes spoke on the arbitration process.

"You kind of find out your true value, 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 differently than what you thought you contributed to the organization," the 28-year old said.

Burnes was drafted by Milwaukee in the fourth round of the 2016 MLB Draft and made his debut in the majors during the 2018 season.

Since his rookie season, he has posted a 35-19 record, throwing 512.2 innings with a 3.21 ERA. Burnes was also the 2021 NL Cy Young award winner and finished seventh in 2022 voting.

Despite emerging as one of the top pitchers in MLB, he lost the arbitration hearing and will make $10.01 million in 2023 instead of the $10.75 million he filed for.

"It's tough to take, but they're trying to do what they can to win a hearing," he told McCalvy.

"There's no denying that the relationship is definitely hurt from what [transpired] over the last couple of weeks," he added. "There's really no way of getting around that. Obviously, we're professionals, and we're going to go out there and do our jobs."

The Brewers finished with an 86-76 record in 2023, missing out on the final NL postseason spot by one game, something that Burnes said was brought up in the hearing.

"When some of the things that are said, for instance, put me at the forefront of why we didn't make the postseason last year. That's something that probably doesn't need to be said," the two-time all-star shared. "Some of the stuff that was said definitely didn't need to be said [which] is something that disappointed everyone."