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The Milwaukee Brewers are falling short of their expectations through the first six weeks of the season. They are 20-21 and three games behind the Chicago Cubs for first place in the NL Central. After last season's triumphant division title, many expected them to continue their hot stretch this year.
But outside of Freddy Peralta and Jose Quintana, their pitching has been rough. ESPN's Buster Olney floats a potential Freddy Peralta trade from the Brewers to either the Baltimore Orioles or the New York Yankees.
“Freddy Peralta has been one of the league's best starters this year, and he's earning a very affordable $8 million this year, with Milwaukee holding an $8 million option for next season,” Olney wrote. “If the Orioles landed him, he would instantly become their ace.
“For the Yankees, he could be a bedrock behind Max Fried and Carlos Rodon. If Peralta stays healthy, his value will never be higher than it is now.”
The Brewers have gotten eight excellent starts from Peralta to start this year. He has not allowed over three runs in any start, always gets into the fifth inning, and boasts a 2.18 ERA. Meanwhile, the rest of Milwaukee's rotation has been injured and terrible. Nestor Cortes, Aaron Civale, and Brandon Woodruff have all been hurt this year.
Woodruff should be coming back soon after a successful rehab start over the weekend. That is the first piece to the Brewers being able to trade Peralta. They could trade their ace and still have enough pitching to make a playoff push if everyone is healthy.
Brewers may deal Freddy Peralta
The Orioles traded for Brewers ace Corbin Burnes before the 2024 season. They got an elite season from Burnes, but were not able to keep him in free agency. Bringing in another Milwaukee pitcher may be the move, as nothing else has worked this year.
The Yankees had to DFA Carlos Carrasco this year and are using bulk man Ryan Yarbrough as a starter. Connecting them to every starter between now and late July should be step one when predicting the trade deadline. Will Warren finally had a great start against the Athletics, but Marcus Stroman's injury setback could necessitate a trade sooner rather than later.
If the Brewers trade Peralta, they may have the best starter on the market. Erick Fedde does not have the extra contract year, and Sandy Alcantara has been brutal in Miami so far. Could Peralta be coming to the AL East?
