Brewers Could Soon Lose 29-Year-Old Two-Time All-Star, MLB Writer Warns

Nothing worse than the vultures circling prematurely

Jul 3, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Detailed view of a Milwaukee Brewers cap and glove during the game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Sometimes, the Milwaukee Brewers make themselves hard to love.

It's been a fantastic season for the Brewers, and by all means, fans should focus on the action on the field. But when the offseason arrives, some difficult realities are going to be faced.

In the past two offseasons, the Brewers traded former Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes and two-time National League Reliever of the Year Devin Williams. Is the rule of threes bound to take form?

Will Brewers trade ace Freddy Peralta this offseason?

Jul 30, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta (51) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Freddy Peralta, the 29-year-old starting pitcher who made his second All-Star team for the Brewers this year, will enter the last year of his contract in 2026, an $8 million club option that will be a no-brainer for Milwaukee to exercise.

It was widely speculated that Peralta could be on the trade block at this year's Jul. 31 deadline early on, when the Brewers were hovering around .500. They killed any notion that it might happen when they began a 45-16 stretch that's currently ongoing, but the table is still set in the offseason if they want to make the move.

On Wednesday, CBS Sports' R.J. Anderson ranked Peralta second on his list of top 10 offseason trade candidates, and had this to say about the possibility of the right-hander getting dealt.

"Peralta has been a key part of the Brewers rotation for the past five years, but the reality of Milwaukee baseball is that they always have to account for the future. He'll be entering his walk year, meaning a trade would follow in the cleatprints of the Corbin Burnes and Devin Williams deals, allowing the Brewers to recoup players who could help sooner than whomever they'd gain through draft-pick compensation," Anderson wrote.

"The Brewers don't always move players before they hit the open market -- Willy Adames was a notable exception -- so it's possible that they hold tight, but the precedent is there."

In 22 starts this year, Peralta has a 13-5 record, 3.03 ERA, and 141 strikeouts in 130 2/3 innings. He could eclipse the 200-strikeout mark for the third straight year, and that's the kind of performance that typically earns a pitcher a nine-figure contract moving forward.

If the Brewers do trade Peralta, it will be in part because they feel confident about where the rotation stands behind him - rookie Jacob Misiorowski, breakout star Quinn Priester, and other youngsters like Logan Henderson and Tobias Myers would project to play huge roles in the veteran's wake.

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