Question of the week: is trading Peralta the right baseball move?

[Brock Beauchamp]

Try to remove personal feelings about Peralta; is trading Freddy the right organizational move?

[Frisbee Slider]

We probably have enough near term prospects at most positions except outfield. 
 

Let’s win 95+ games again and take our draft pick.

[patrickgpe]

As in most things, it’s depends on the return. It’s impossible to answer without knowing what they can get, if they can get a young power hitting 3rd baseman or a good shortstop prospect, I think it is,  if the return is similar to Joey Ortiz and DL Hall, I’d rather keep Freddy and get the draft pick. 

[wiguy94]

I just can't answer a raw yes or no to this question. The answer is far more nuanced than that.

[landoc88]

It takes one injury to his arm and then the Brewers are SOL. Trade him tomorrow.

[Soupy]

Can we get someone to help us get past the other top teams? Hard to believe would get someone who would help us more THIS year than FF. But can we with him? We all know our chances but let’s give it our best shot. 

[markedman5]

That’s like asking somebody if they want to sell their house and expecting an answer without mentioning a price………

[brewmann04]

This is the way for the brewers and their fans. Yes you might try to get the haul now 

[Turning2]

Specific to Milwaukee's demonstrated business strategy, which is to essentially create a perpetual carrot on a stick atmosphere, it's the right business move. 

[gregmag]

He’s coming off a career year. He’s hitting the age when players in general starts to decline and pitchers are more likely to get hurt. We have a ton of decent rotation options. Obviously the answer depends on the return, but it seems very likely that we can trade him for value that’s harder to generate from what we already have.

[Thurston Fluff]

It really depends on organizational philosophy. If you're a team that tries to build a super team and are willing to do a tear down and rebuild after then no. If you're a more bites at the apple team then yes. What I don''t think any team should do is change how they approach team building every couple years. Which is why I say the Brewers should trade him.

[owbc]

The Brewers are so smart in the timing of these things. Right when the top free agents are off the board, fans are thinking about buying tickets for 2026, and the media is putting out articles on offseason grades. All they have to do is look up the mid-to-large markets with "D" or "F" grades and tight pocketbooks and dangle that carrot.

New York, Baltimore, Boston, etc....you know how antsy your fans are right now, they are mad that you didn't purchase a $200M free agent! What if I told you that for the cost of almost nothing (except a couple of young, controllable major leaguers that you are probably undervaluing), that you could have a #1 ace, get your fans pumped for 2026, and embrace "win now" mode! 

Meanwhile, Brewers fans will just collectively shrug their shoulders, knowing that management will find a way to be selling excess pitching by July again. 

 

[BrewCrewBlueDevil]

Take Freddy's five innings every five or six days and reevaluate at the deadline.  If you are near the top of the division just take the comp pick.

Freddy- Reliable 

Woodruff- Health is a question

Priester- Reliable

Misorowski- Somewhat unreliable

Ashby- Question mark

Henderson- Health is a question

Gasser- Health is a question

Patrick- #5 starter

Meyers- #5 starter

Zerpa- This years Priester?

Hall- Questionable for the rotation

Rodriguez- Huge question mark

There are some intriguing arms!  In Pat we trust.

 

 

 

[True Blue Brew Crew]

Do you like the state of Brewers baseball right now? Do you like this run of playoff berths, division titles, and year to year competitive play? If you do, then you really should be in favor of this type of move because it's at the core of their philosophy

[owbc]

19 minutes ago, BrewCrewBlueDevil said:

Take Freddy's five innings every five or six days and reevaluate at the deadline.  If you are near the top of the division just take the comp pick.

Freddy- Reliable 

Woodruff- Health is a question

Priester- Reliable

Misorowski- Somewhat unreliable

Ashby- Question mark

Henderson- Health is a question

Gasser- Health is a question

Patrick- #5 starter

Meyers- #5 starter

Zerpa- This years Priester?

Hall- Questionable for the rotation

Rodriguez- Huge question mark

There are some intriguing arms!  In Pat we trust.

 

 

 

You have to assume that if Freddy is on the roster on the day that pitchers and catchers report in mid-February that we're taking the comp pick. 

They would have to be in real deep doo doo to be in a position where the clubhouse and fans would accept a sell deal at the deadline. It's much easier politically to make the move now, even if the return isn't much different than it would be at the end of July. 

[AdvantageSchneider]

You shouldn't trade Peralta because there really isn't anyone on the staff other than Priester that you can trust to eat a ton of innings next year.  Last year they were the best team in baseball when they had Peralta, Woody and Preister 1-3 in the rotation.  Then Woody goes down and the pitching staff was not the same in the playoffs, although they weren't horrible.  

Plus how many prospects do you really need?  We already let some decent guys go in the rule 5 draft compared to other teams.  I know we are going to need to replenish the supply when Contreras and Turang leave but we've are pretty stacked.  This is the time to run it out and take the comp pick.

[Outlander]

I like the approach they took with Adames, try to win with him and then get the draft pick, if they have a down year can trade at the deadline. I think the bites at the apple can work but when they traded their ace in Corbin Burnes they took away a bite and we will never know if they could have won it all. With relievers I am much more open to trading due to volatility so won't be complaining if they get a decent return for 32 year old Megill. The Brewers really need an offer they can't refuse with Peralta as there should be no urgency to trade him.

[nate82]

The answer is yes but also no and it could also be maybe.  

[GAME05]

2 hours ago, Outlander said:

if they have a down year can trade at the deadline

With the expanded playoffs it doesn't seem like that's near the possibility it used to be. July 4th last year there were only five teams more than five games out of the Wild Card spot in the NL. If it were any big factor in the strategy we'd have ourselves a Josh Hader situation most every year and I'd venture a guess more hated by the fans than an offseason move.

[titanrick]

21 hours ago, True Blue Brew Crew said:

Do you like the state of Brewers baseball right now? Do you like this run of playoff berths, division titles, and year to year competitive play? If you do, then you really should be in favor of this type of move because it's at the core of their philosophy

I understand the overall philosophy and I am in favor of it since we are a small-market team.  That's not going to change. 

But it has to be more nuanced than simply, "trade your best player - every time - before you lose him."  When we dealt Burnes and Hader, we were a playoff contender, but realistically not a title contender.  So reloading was the wise move.

Flash forward to the state of the Brewers in 2026.  We just had the best record in baseball last year. The ultimate goal is still to bring a championship to Milwaukee.  The time to "go for it" by keeping Peralta is now.  If it's not now, then that time will never come.  

[39Streak]

I can answer without looking at anything they might secure in a trade (knowing what is “realistic” for a return).
 

It’s “no” for me.  This was the winningest team in Baseball.  They can win the whole thing.  Freddy is too important for that.  The system is very healthy.  Longevity of the team is on firm ground without having to trade him.  
 

there are young players with the ability to take next steps in Chuorio, Felick, Turang, Durbin and Ortiz.  It’s a time to play for this WS.

[wiguy94]

I've changed my mind. I can answer without more context. 100% trade Freddy. Freddy Peralta would be SP4/SP5 on the Dodgers. The idea of holding onto him when the Dodgers exist as if it gives us a better chance to beat them just feels silly. Trade 1 year of Freddy to get players with more team control. Continue to try and make the playoffs every single year and hope to get hot at the right time. We can't compete with the Dodgers on paper.

[liveforoctober]

Does a potential lockout play into this at all? 

If we get locked out next year and free agency freezes.. Freddy can't sign with anyone so we wouldn't get a draft pick for him until potentially the 2028 draft then? 

If that return this year can be great and we get guys into our system now vs having to wait two/three full seasons... I dunno, just pondering.

[Roderick]

The default for a small market team should be to trade a player like Peralta.  Obviously you have to get a decent return for him. 

I just wonder if the Brewers budgeted the TV rights for the amount we will end up actually getting this year.  If they budgeted more than whatever MLB will get them, I could see the Brewers being more aggressive in trading him, even though he is only making $8M.  $2 bucks is $2 bucks, eh?

[39Streak]

9 hours ago, wiguy94 said:

I've changed my mind. I can answer without more context. 100% trade Freddy. Freddy Peralta would be SP4/SP5 on the Dodgers. The idea of holding onto him when the Dodgers exist as if it gives us a better chance to beat them just feels silly. Trade 1 year of Freddy to get players with more team control. Continue to try and make the playoffs every single year and hope to get hot at the right time. We can't compete with the Dodgers on paper.

Look, fair points.  Freddy is a 4/5 on the only team in baseball with more money than the Rothschilds, the Dodgers.
 

But….the window is now all across the field in MKE.  So you just gotta get into the post season and have a punchers chance.  Lots of deep pieces that can do multiple innings in relief.  MKE could win the thing by having three guys able to go 2+ innings in relief in Chad Patrick, Hall, Ashby and Gasser.  
 

Freddy

Woody

Miz

Preister

Hendo/Ashby/Patrick/Myers/Zerpa

 

Heck, maybe we get lucky with a Letson as a late season bully piece.