Brewers 25-Year-Old Star Pushing for Opening Day Roster Spot

The Brewers may have struck gold with their blockbuster Freddy Peralta trade this offseason...

Sep 13, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Brandon Sproat (40) pitches in the third inning against the Texas Rangers at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers made a bold decision this offseason when they opted to trade their ace, Freddy Peralta, to the New York Mets in exchange for Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat.

This was the correct move for the Brewers to make, as Peralta was likely going to leave town in free agency at the end of the season either way. Getting this kind of return in a trade will make the team much better in the future with sacrificing the present day by too much. In fact, these two prospects could impact the big-league club as early as this season.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo, Sam Dykstra, and Jim Callis recently put together a list of prospects from each team who could push for a spot on each team's opening day roster. For the Brewers, they suggested it would be the aforementioned Sproat who would crack the Brewers' opening day roster.

Brandon Sproat could be the immediate replacement to Freddy Peralta

Sep 26, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Brandon Sproat (40) delivers a pitch against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

"Another new face in a new place, Sproat should be right in Milwaukee’s rotation mix coming off his move from the Mets in the Freddy Peralta/Tobias Myers trade," they wrote. "The 6-foot-3 right-hander made four uneven starts with New York at the tail-end of 2025, finishing with a 4.79 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings, but he can throw heat with a pair of fastballs and earns better reviews for his offspeed mix featuring a curveball, a sweeper, a slider and a changeup. The depth of the arsenal might give him the best chance at opening ’26 in the bigs."

Sproat is a very talented righty with the potential to be even better than he showed last year. While he didn't dominate during his stint in the big leagues last season, he flashed the potential to be an ace.

The Brewers have a lot of young pitching talent in their farm system, so it might be tough for Sproat to come out of the pack on top. But the Brewers opted to trade for him for a reason. For them to give up Peralta, they need to have supreme belief in the prospects returning to their team. As a result, it wouldn't be surprising to see the young righty get the nod as a member of the Brewers' opening day rotation.

More MLB: Brewers Hit Jackpot, Landed Highly Touted Star in Freddy Peralta Trade