Shocking Orioles-Brewers trade has Red Sox fans banging their heads

It's been one day since the Baltimore Orioles organization started the process to change hands. John Angelos sold the club to an investment group led by Baltimore-native billionaire David Rubenstein.

The new owners have already done more for the organization than John Henry has done for the Red Sox in two seasons.

Red Sox Nation's jaws hit the floor Thursday night as former Brewers ace Corbin Burnes was traded to the Orioles, reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

The 29-year-old right-hander was drafted by Milwaukee in 2016 and has spent his entire six-year big league career with the club. In the past three seasons, Burnes has won a Cy Young Award and earned three All-Star nods. He pitched to the tune of a 3.39 ERA over 193.2 innings in 2023. He logged 200 strikeouts and led the National League with a WHIP of 1.069.

Red Sox watch division-rival Baltimore Orioles trade for Corbin Burnes

In exchange for the ace, Baltimore sent two prospects to Milwaukee, shortstop Joey Ortiz and left-handed pitcher DL Hall as well as a draft pick — that's it. Burnes only has one year of team control left on his contract and Ortiz and Hall are the No. 6 and No. 7 prospects in the Orioles' system, respectively.

In arguably the most shocking move of the offseason, Baltimore has the ace it needs to really compete. Burnes joins John Means, Dean Kremer, Grayson Rodriguez, Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells as the Orioles' starting options. Baltimore fixed its biggest deficiency with one move and turned itself into a deep-playoff contender.

Meanwhile, Jordan Montgomery has been living and working out in Boston all offseason and the Red Sox can't even make an offer. They also have one of the most promising farm systems in the league and they can't make a trade.

The years of banking on the rest of the AL East, besides the Yankees, of course, to be stingy with their money are over. Boston can't expect to compete in the division, let alone in the playoffs, when their direct rivals are trading for Juan Soto and Corbin Burnes.

In an interview with The Boston Globe's Pete Abraham, Craig Breslow claimed that he and the rest of the front office believed that Boston's fastest path to a World Series title was to wait for the next round of prospects to reach the big leagues. They were wrong.

The Orioles may well have paved the fastest path for themselves after realizing their potential. And it wasn't by sitting and waiting.

Take notes, John Henry.

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