What Might Hold Up Braves in Their Freddy Peralta Pursuit

The Atlanta Braves are known to be in the hunt for All-Star Freddy Peralta, but what could be holding things back isn't too surprising

The Braves are still on Peralta, but there are still some holdups | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Braves remain on the hunt to add starting pitcher depth before the regular season. As we’ve heard recently across multiple reports, they’re among those looking into Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta. 

Based on what we have heard, the most likely thing to be the biggest holdup on a deal potentially getting done for the Braves is the dollars. The goal is to have Peralta for more than a one-year rental, but if they are to ensure that, an extension has to be worked out. 

The potential dollars that could be going around are unclear. However, Peralta is certainly looking to get an increase from his $8 million salary he’s due in 2026. According to Spotrac, his market value per season is $30.4 million. For all we know, that could be what it’s close to, but we don’t know for any certainty. 

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Whatever the asking price is right now, the Braves have balked at it. Talks are still considered to be ongoing. So, it’s not over. However, the longer these talks go on, the less likely they are to happen. That doesn’t mean they aren’t hopeful of landing him, but there is no reason to hold your breath. 

Think of it this way. The Braves have been making an effort to spend, yes. However, they have a limit at some point to what they're willing to do. There is also some uncertainty that could be coming on the television revenue front. We don't know to what extent yet, and we don't know if it impacts the Braves at all.

That being said, there are teams out there who are known to be hesitant to make moves for this reason. The Braves are also one of the nine teams that have terminated their contracts with Main Street Sports Group, the owners of the FanDuel Sports Network channels.

A major factor that goes hand in hand with this first point is the return. Whether or not the Braves can get Peralta long-term will impact who they have to give up. JR Ritchie is a name that we’ve mentioned, but has also been a potential name according to other sources as well. Hurston Waldrep is another potential name, as well as Cam Caminiti. 

Perhaps they might not even have to give up any of these names if Peralta is a one-year rental. It gets tougher from there, though. The Brewers appear to be looking for a young pitcher in return who can also be ready soon. Other options, such as Blake Burkhalter or Lucas Braun, have seen action in Triple-A, but they aren’t ready to jump into a starting role in a major league rotation yet. 

At age 29, Peralta pitched to a career-best 2.70 ERA across a career-high 176 2/3 innings pitched. His 1.07 WHIP was the third-best of his career in a season. He certainly would give the team a durable option that they have been without as of late. Even better, he’s an all-star and not just an innings-eater. 

Pitchers and catchers report in less than a month. We’ll see how the rotation looks at that time, and who could be vying for spots.