As Trade Rumors Swirl, Brewers Must Hold Onto 2x All-Star For 2026

Despite trade rumors, the Brewers would be making a mistake to trade their ace.

Jun 15, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; General view of American Family Field during the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers season is over. On Friday night, they were swept in the National League Championship series by the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Now, the Brewers must shift their focus to the offseason, where questions await them. Two starting pitchers, Jose Quintana and Brandon Woodruff are free agents and are expected to leave Milwaukee this winter.

Meanwhile, the rumors have begun to swirl about right-hander Freddy Peralta, who has a club option for 2026. There have been rumors that the Brewers will pick up that option and trade Peralta to another contending team in need of pitching. However, trading him would be a mistake.

Why Brewers Should Not Trade Freddy Peralta

Oct 14, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Freddy Peralta (51) reacts after giving up a solo home run to Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Teoscar Hernandez (not pictured) in the second inning during game two of the NLCS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

With Woodruff and Quintana likely gone, the Brewers are going to need somebody to lead their starting rotation in 2026 if they want to make another deep playoff run. They already have that pitcher in their rotation, and trading him would be a mistake.

The Brewers don't typically spend big in free agency, so instead of trading Peralta and going out and signing other pitchers, they would be much wiser to keep him around. Without an anchor in the rotation, the Brewers could slip in the standings, especially with the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds having both made the playoffs in 2025.

While it has been a strategy for the Brewers to trade rental players in their walk year for Major League Ready talent, what they get for Peralta won't have an immediate positive effect on the team. It will be hard to develop another pitcher of his caliber.

While Jacob Misiorowski is still present, he is still partially unproven. Instead of trading Peralta, now is the time for the Brewers to spend big and give him a contract extension.

The 29-year-old right-hander has expressed a desire to remain with Milwaukee and would almost certainly be open to extension talks. After all, he went 17-6 with a 2.70 ERA and 5.5 WAR in 33 starts this season, striking out 204 batters in 176 2/3 innings of work.

Having that proven presence at the top of the rotation in 2026 and for years to come would allow the Brewers to remain in contention for the long haul. Peralta should be worth every penny of a potential extension. Losing that presence could have drastically negative effects on the team.

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