Why The Brewers Should Not Trade Freddy Peralta, But Instead Sign Him To An Extension

[Steve Drumwright]

Freddy Peralta's name has popped up quite a bit this offseason in trade rumors. With the price of starting pitching being what it is, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Milwaukee Brewers trade the right-hander who has started the last two Opening Days.

But I am here to say the Brewers should do the opposite of that. Not only don't trade him, but don't even let Peralta get any closer to free agency than he already is.

Peralta is the perfect player for the Brewers to invest in with a contract extension.

Why? A combination of performance, character, and commitment — not to mention how much the fans love Peralta. The Brewers are entering an interesting phase in franchise history. There are a number of young players who will be around for another few years, with a few highly rated prospects likely to be ready to make their MLB debuts in 2026 or 2027. And with the Brewers coming off their third straight NL Central championship, it is time to slightly change the narrative that the Crew have nationally.

That is where Peralta comes in. Peralta endeared himself to Brewers fans when he made his MLB debut on Mother's Day 2018. The team was in desperate need of a starting pitcher for the finale of a four-game series vs. the Colorado Rockies when they summoned a fresh-faced 21-year-old Peralta from Triple-A Colorado Springs. Peralta had been scheduled to start the day before Mother's Day for the Sky Sox, with his mom and dad making the trip from the Dominican Republic. Instead, the fortunate timing allowed his parents to see their son make his MLB debut — and Peralta turned in a memorable performance. He took a no-hit bid into the sixth inning, finally giving up a lone hit in 5⅓ innings, walking two but striking out a whopping 13 in a 7-3 win over the Rockies.

It was the start of something special for Peralta, who was one of three lottery tickets the Brewers acquired from the Seattle Mariners in December 2015 for first baseman Adam Lind. Like Peralta is now, Lind was entering the final year of a club-friendly contract extension going into 2016. Peralta would make one more start before going back down to Triple-A, but came back a month later and mostly remained in the rotation as the Brewers went on to win the Central and lost in seven games to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Championship Series.

Before the 2020 season, Peralta signed a club-friendly five-year, $15.5 million contract that included club options for 2025 and 2026 at $8 million each. That covered two pre-arbitration years and all three trips to arbitrations, with the options buying out his first two free-agent seasons.

At the time, Peralta had been bouncing between the rotation and the bullpen and was in competition to be the No. 5 starter. That investment has more than paid off. Following the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Peralta has been a rotation mainstay, watching as Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff led the starting staff. But due to the Brewers trading Burnes, the 2020 NL Cy Young Award winner, and the shoulder injury to Woodruff at the end of the 2023 season, Peralta was thrust into a leadership role.

Not having to worry about free agency due to the extension, Peralta thrived. From 2021-25, Peralta made 139 starts and two relief appearances, staying healthy with the exception of a 2022 strained right shoulder that cost him a couple of months. He put up a 3.65 FIP in those five seasons with a 126 ERA+ and 1.093 WHIP. He has struck out 29.5% of hitters while walking 9% and excelled at limiting hits, allowing just a .199 opponent batting average. The biggest knock on Peralta is his propensity to give up home runs — giving up 73 over the last three years — but by keeping runners off base, those are usually solo shots.

That all resulted in a breakthrough in 2025, where he led the NL with 17 wins and struck out at least 200 for the third straight season. He finished fifth in the NL Cy Young Award balloting.

But now is the time for the Brewers to pay up. Sure, Peralta will pitch 2026 on his $8 million contract. But before he starts for a third straight Opening Day, the Brewers need to show him some love for two reasons. First, Peralta has earned his payday. The interest in other teams seeking his services for 2026 shows that. Second, the players coming up in the system need to know there is a chance for them to earn a similar opportunity, not just knowing their tenure with the Brewers will likely be up when they go through the arbitration cycle three times — or even before.

Peralta has provided leadership to the other young pitchers and position players. Just look at how he talked with Jackson Chourio during his rookie season of 2024, following some outfield misadventures, and how Chourio responded. With other Latin American prospects on their way in infielders Jesus Made and Luis Pena, seeing Peralta in the clubhouse on a daily basis will be a source of comfort and guidance as they adjust to the rigors of daily life as an MLB player.

What does a Peralta extension look like? I'm not that smart, but with the qualifying offer next offseason probably in the $23 million range, Peralta should be able to land something close to a $30 average annual value for at least five years.

Can you imagine the smiles on Peralta's face if he lands that type of deal with the Brewers?

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[Bob K]

I agree with Steve. Extend Peralta now. If any starting pitcher is worth $30M/yr it’s Freddy. He’s not only the team’s unquestioned ace, he is also durable and a leader in the clubhouse.  Milwaukee may be a small market team but Attanasio holds a big enough bag to pay Peralta as well as to keep a competitive team around him. 

[rafa79]

Peralta is my favorite player but no way can the Brewers afford him. 

Ok, technically they could go all-in and pay him and that would be great. Hmmm, now how do the Brewers sign, extend players in the near future like Turang, Jacob Miz, perhaps Jesus Made?  It's a rhetorical question, they don't because they can't.

I'd love to have Freddy Peralta in a Brewer uniform for the next 5-6 years but that's not reality in the market that the Brewers are in.  Moreover, with the host of young pitchers coming up or already on the team (Miz, Priester, Patrick, Henderson,), it's not necessary or prudent.

[Frisbee Slider]

Freddy has been a very good, reliable pitcher for several years. That said, he will almost certainly regress over the next few years. Plus, I find it difficult to believe that starting pitchers can stay healthy for so many years in a row.

Even if we assume Peralta will continue being five wins above replacement level, we have so many pitchers making near league minimum that can likely be two or three wins above replacement level that it doesn’t make sense to spend over 20% of our payroll on an aging starting pitcher. 
 

Especially since he Is not an ace. 🙂

[dsid74]

Nice thought, but not practical.  I agree Rafa79.  There are others we should look at extending before Freddy. 

Made is the first priority.  It will probably take close to $100 million to get that done.  Turang and Mis would cost more than that. 

Each of these 3 will probably deliver far better value for the dollar than Freddy (since he will be getting $30ish million per year).  

[PBTank]

I agree with the others saying the Brewers cannot afford paying a pitcher $30M per year.  Now if it were 3yrs / 90M instead of 5yrs / 150M, then possibly I could see that.  Especially if the 90M included reachable insentives to get it to 90M.  That would ensure he’s healthy for the 3yrs.  Regardless if I’m Peralta, I would want to cash in long term with the next contract.  The Brewers aren’t the ones who are going to be able to do that.  Or shouldn’t.  
 

Now what’s more valuable?   One year of him at 8M plus a compensation pick.  Or, what you could get trading him now.  Personally, I would hold out with the Mets until I could get Benge and another piece or two.  

[Mr Southpaw]

On 1/4/2026 at 12:25 PM, PBTank said:

I agree with the others saying the Brewers cannot afford paying a pitcher $30M per year.  Now if it were 3yrs / 90M instead of 5yrs / 150M, then possibly I could see that.  Especially if the 90M included reachable insentives to get it to 90M.  That would ensure he’s healthy for the 3yrs.  Regardless if I’m Peralta, I would want to cash in long term with the next contract.  The Brewers aren’t the ones who are going to be able to do that.  Or shouldn’t.  
 

Now what’s more valuable?   One year of him at 8M plus a compensation pick.  Or, what you could get trading him now.  Personally, I would hold out with the Mets until I could get Benge and another piece or two.  

Benge and Tong.

[wallus]

1 hour ago, Mr Southpaw said:

Benge and Tong.

0% chance the Mets do that and I might be overestimating it.