How Should the Brewers Handle the Freddy Peralta Situation?

An Irreplaceable Asset

I am a firm believer that a ball club — especially small-market teams — needs not just the right players to make a championship push, but they also need the right people in place to build a winning culture.

Peralta checks both of those boxes. As foundational as he has been for the Brewers’ starting rotation, he’s equally as valuable of an individual in Milwaukee’s clubhouse. That stuff matters for a team whose success is built upon buy in from all members on the roster.

It was a very similar conversation surrounding shortstop Willy Adames two offseasons ago when he was entering his final year of arbitration.

Trade rumors surrounded the club’s star shortstop all winter long, but the team elected to retain Adames for his final arbitration year despite knowing that they were likely to lose him in free agency come season’s end.

The situation was a tad different because Adames was eligible to receive the qualifying offer, which led to the Brewers receiving draft compensation as a result of him signing elsewhere, but the organization was aware of how valuable Adames was not just to the offense, but to the clubhouse culture as a whole.

It was difficult to predict how an Adames trade — regardless of whether it made sense from a business perspective — would impact the overall vibes of a team looking to get back to the postseason, and it is a very similar conversation surrounding Peralta and the potential repercussions that a trade would have on this team.

Subtracting the team’s ace after a year in which they came so close to winning the NL pennant could really sour the mood in Milwaukee, especially when the roster in 2026 should look very similar to the one that just rattled off a franchise-record 97 wins this season.

At the same time, it’s important to remember that baseball is a business. The Brewers have remained so competitive because of their ability to continuously retool their MLB roster, and if the front office receives an offer that they deem acceptable, they will make the move regardless of the player’s importance to the ball club.

Baseball Is a Business

Peralta would likely be the most sought-after asset on the trade market this winter. On top of coming off a career year, he’s also on arguably the most team-friendly contract in the sport.

Peralta is heading into his age-30 season and has a club option for $8 million for 2026. That’s a remarkable price for an arm that just finished with the fourth-lowest ERA in the NL and has surpassed 200 strikeouts in each of his last three seasons.

For reference, when the Brewers traded Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles in February of 2024, he had just agreed to a deal worth just over $15.5 million in his final year of arbitration. In exchange for Burnes, the Brewers received shortstop Joey Ortiz, LHP DL Hall, and a 2024 Competitive Balance Round A draft pick, which turned out to be first base prospect Blake Burke.

The Brewers were able to address several different needs in that trade and improve both the farm system and big-league roster as a result, and there’s reason to believe they could bring in a similar haul for Peralta.

Freddy’s $8 million salary in 2026 makes him appealing to all 29 other ball clubs, as it’s rare that a team can get an arm of his caliber on such an affordable price. That boosts his trade value immensely, giving the Brewers leverage and presenting a major opportunity to bring in a significant return.

With how high his demand will be, it would be extremely difficult for the Brewers to turn down an offer that blows them away. While fans might not like to hear that, it’s the reality of running a small-market team.

Is the Risk Worth the Reward?

The Brewers are one of the most well run organizations in professional sports. Their ability to sell high on assets, identify talent, and develop players is what’s made them one of the most successful teams in baseball.

Peralta could be another example of how the Brewers lean into that strength and keep this train on the tracks. It’s a philosophy that the front office has embraced in recent years, and the results speak for themselves.

At the same time, it needs to be acknowledged that they’ve consistently come up short of their ultimate goal of bringing a title to Milwaukee despite having multiple cracks at making an October run.

Peralta should be a key piece in getting this team to the World Series, not be leveraged as a trade chip following the most successful season in franchise history. With the plethora of arms they have vying for a rotation spot in 2026, Peralta can lead the way in what could be a very strong, but young, group of starters.

The Brewers took a shot on Peralta back in February of 2020 when they signed him to a five-year, $15.5 million extension that included a pair of club options for $8 million apiece. This was after he struggled across his first two big-league seasons, which included a 5.29 ERA across 85 innings in 2019.

Flash forward to 2025, and he’s evolved into the most valuable players within the organization and one of the top arms in the National League.

The Brewers have helped shape him into the arm and individual he is today — he has been through the ups and downs that this organization has experienced, he has posted All-Star campaigns regardless of whether he’s the No. 3 starter or the ace in the rotation, and the way he goes about his business is exactly what the Brewers are looking for from the face of the pitching staff.

Milwaukee has been able to withstand player turnover in years past, and nobody should doubt their ability to do it again in 2026 should they trade Peralta in the coming months.

However, there’s always the chance that a Peralta trade could derail any momentum this team created with its historic 2025 season. It’s clear that they have the pieces to compete for a World Series title, and having Peralta at the top of the rotation may be essential in this team getting over the hump in October.

Time will tell how the Brewers’ front office will proceed with their ace, and it will be one of the more monitored stories in MLB in the coming months.