Brewers Could Cut Ties With Ace At Trade Deadline; Red Sox Named As Fit

Trade deadline season is beginning to ramp up in earnest, and Milwaukee Brewers fans aren't sure how to feel.

On one hand, the Brewers have had a hot last month and are now firmly in the playoff race. At 43-36, they'd be bound for October if the postseason started now, and they'd be in even better shape with a couple of modest tweaks at the trade deadline.

On the other hand, the Brewers are known for trading their assets a year early, and there might never be a better time to get a haul for ace Freddy Peralta.

In their Tuesday trade deadline preview, ESPN's Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel assigned Peralta a 20 percent chance of being traded at this year's deadline. They named a handful of teams as potential landing spots, including the Boston Red Sox, who recently made the biggest trade of the year so far.

"Peralta has been a steady presence for years, averaging 140 innings pitched with a 3.49 ERA over the past four seasons," the authors wrote. "He's on track to do that again, with his heavily used fastball coming in at a career-high average velo of 94.9 mph this season.

"He has an ultra-cheap $8 million option for 2026. Best fits: Boston, Houston, Toronto, St. Louis, Arizona, San Diego, Baltimore"

The 29-year-old Peralta has a 2.76 ERA this season, striking out 90 batters in 88 innings. He's likely to be the Brewers' representative at the All-Star Game, which would be his second career trip to the Midsummer Classic.

The Red Sox are the ultimate wild card in this situation, because they're guaranteed to do something big. They already moved on from superstar Rafael Devers, and now we're waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Starting pitching looks like Boston's biggest need at the moment, as Walker Buehler's season ERA rose over six on Monday night.

It would be galling for Brewers fans to see Peralta in Boston, Toronto, or Houston. But this wouldn't be the first time Milwaukee plays the trade value game over sentimentality, and they'll do what they think is best to get themselves closer to the next championship opportunity if they don't think that's this saeson.