Although the Brewers have been downplaying the possibility of trading him, the ace right-hander Freddy Peralta continues to attract a variety of interests. Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic list the Dodgers and Braves among the list of teams that will inquire with the Brewers, joining a group of previously reported clubs that include the Yankees, Mets and Red Sox. All those clubs are still believed to be interested in the righty.
Peralta’s appeal is obvious. He’s a 29-year-old righty with a 3.30 ERA over his past five seasons, including a career-low 2.70 earned run average this past season (though average stats and independent marks suggest it’s more reasonable to expect a low 3.00 ERA than other marks below 3.00). Peralta averages nearly 95 mph on his heater, misses bats at a high rate, has worse-than-average command and, most importantly, is only making $8MM next season. That’s his last year before free agency, but even as a one-year rental, a team that gives up a little talent to acquire Peralta will know they’ll be getting the 2027 draft, as it’s the key to accepting and rejecting a qualifying offer.
For clubs that pay comfortably, Peralta’s small salary is very attractive. That’s all true for teams like the Yankees, Mets and Dodgers, who appear to be on the cusp of being fined for at least the third straight season. Those clubs effectively pay double for any subsequent additions to the payroll. The Dodgers are already in the top tax bracket so they will pay a 110% tax on any new additions to the payroll. The two New York clubs are just shy of the top tax bracket, but even if they sit in the third penalty category, they will be taxed at 95%. And both are close enough to the fourth-tier threshold that Peralta will put them right there or push them.
For the Braves and Red Sox, the penalties would have been much more severe. Atlanta didn’t pay any taxes last year and is currently in the first phase of a fine. They will only get a 20% ($1.6MM) slap on the wrist for adding Peralta’s salary to the book. The Red Sox will be over the tax line for just the second straight season, as they were under the cap in 2024. It’s currently about $3MM tax-free, according to RosterResource. As a second time offender they will pay a 30% tax on the first $20MM they exceed the limit. For Peralta, that would be just a hair over $1.5MM.
In terms of program fit, it’s pretty easy to see how Peralta could fit into any of the clubs on the list. Atlanta right now Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, Spencer Schwellenbach, Reynaldo Lopez again Hurston Waldrep ranked as its top five. Each of Sold, Strider, Schwellenbach and Lopez missed time due to injury in 2025. Lopez started only one game. Sale missed more than two months with broken ribs. Schwellenbach’s season ended in late June when he fractured his right elbow. Strider posted a 4.45 ERA in his first season back from UCL surgery. Waldrep was good as a rookie but only threw 56 1/3 innings in the majors.
The Dodgers certainly don’t “need” more starting pitching, but the old saying “there’s no such thing as too much pitching” applies to any club. Adding Peralta will be about deepening the club’s options for October. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki, Emmett Sheehan again Justin Wrobleski give the Dodgers an embarrassment of riches, and small arms that are too high Ryan River, Gavin Stone again Kyle Hurt all are fixed from the 2024 operation. High hopes Jackson Ferris not far from MLB readiness. It’s a deep team, but the Dodgers probably don’t want to simply assume that all of their strongest arms will be healthy in the postseason. Bringing in another high-quality arm to join the team will improve their options as they pursue a triple-double.
The Yankees have yet to add to the big league roster, other than re-signing Ryan Yarbrough with a cheap one-year contract and choose the right one Cade Winquest from the Cardinals in the 5th Draft. With Carlos Rodon, Gerrit Cole again Clark Schmidt All season-openers on the injured list could use some rotation help. Meanwhile, the Mets released the biggest names they added this winter. President of baseball ops David Stearns knows Peralta well from his days in Milwaukee. The current Mets rotation relies heavily on rebounds Kodai Senga again Sean Manaea and significant steps forward from similar prospects Jonah Tong again Brandon Sproat. The Red Sox added Sonny Gray again Johan Oviedo in what was already a good depth mix, but Peralta will be the clear No. 1 option. 2 after ace Garrett Crochet than Gray or right hand Brian Bello.
Other teams have shown interest in Peralta. Earlier in the offseason, it was reported that the Astros were looking at him, but they didn’t come. Mike Burrows in commerce and Tatsuya Imai in free agency. The Orioles have also shown interest, though Baltimore has found out Shane Baz and re-signed Zach Eflinat least to reduce some urgency. (Peralta will still be a significant and necessary upgrade to the end of the staff.) The Athletic report notes that other lower-income clubs are also looking at Peralta, given that his $8MM price tag is affordable for any team.
Broadly speaking, it makes sense that any 2026 postseason prospect would likely scale Peralta’s asking price. Rosenthal and Samson suggest that a major league-ready starting pitcher is likely to be the starting point in any negotiations regarding Peralta. Milwaukee has won an MLB-best 97 games in 2025 and is considered the favorite in the NL Central as a result. The Brewers know they can also get a compensatory pick in the 2027 draft if and when Peralta leaves in free agency. They are tax-exempt share receivers, so that pick will come at the end of the first round. That establishes a pretty good baseline that needs to be crossed in any trade talks, and targeting MLB-friendly help for the winning club is natural.
A Peralta trade should not be seen as a possibility. Milwaukee brass has publicly downplayed the possibility, but the Brewers will never fully rule themselves out from trading any notable stars as they approach free agency. Milwaukee is for sale Corbin Burns, Devin Williams again Josh Hader towards the end of their original club control windows, after all. However, the Brewers also held on Willy Adams in the 2024 season, knowing he could turn down a qualifying offer and leave in free agency, which is exactly how things played out. Keeping Peralta would give Milwaukee a deep and talented rotation, as he will be joining Brandon Woodruff, Jacob Misiorowski, Quinn Priester again Chad Patrickwith depth options including Logan Henderson, Tobias Myers and high hopes of the former Robert Gasserwho will be coming back from Tommy John surgery.
