Brewers May Regret Changing Their Stance On Trading Star Ace

The Brewers could be making a major mistake.

Oct 13, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; A general view inside the stadium during the national anthem prior to game one of the NLCS round between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers for the 2025 MLB playoffs at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers saw their season end at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series. They now have some important questions to answer this offseason.

One of their biggest questions is centered around the status of their ace Freddy Peralta, who put together one of his best seasons to date in 2025, going 17-6 with a 2.70 ERA in 33 starts and posting a 5.5 WAR while striking out 204 batters in 176 ⅔ innings.

After the season ended, president of baseball operations Matt Arnold had said that he had not thought about trading Peralta. However, things may have changed.

Brewers Should Not Consider Trading Freddy Peralta

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta (51) pitches during the first inning of the National League Championship Series game against the Los Angeles Dodgers October 14, 2025 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. | Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“We try to evaluate ourselves as hard as anybody,” Arnold said at the GM meetings on Tuesday. “We want to make sure we’re turning over every rock we possibly can to do better, and sometimes that requires making some really tough decisions. We’ve had to do that in the past, and we’re prepared to do the same this year.

While Arnold did not mention Peralta by name, he seemed prepared to make yet another hard decision, and that could include trading their ace away.

That wouldn’t be a popular move with the fanbase after the Brewers won 97 games and cruised to the NLCS this year. But Peralta is in the final year of his contract, so it’s not impossible.

Milwaukee had traded Devin Williams and Corbin Burnes in the final year of their contracts, but they still had Peralta leading the rotation. After making those trades, Milwaukee went on to win the NL Central in 2024 and 2025, respectively.

However, a trade of Peralta could have devastating consequences, possibly taking them out of contention in the NL Central and ruining their chances of making a deeper postseason run in 2026.

That would open the door for the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds to unseat them. If they keep Peralta, they should be in good shape heading into 2026. But it does seem as though Arnold has changed his tone a little.

The Brewers could bring back a haul for Peralta, but they’ll want to be careful about actually trading him so they can stay competitive next season.

Not having Peralta could cause some major problems for the reigning NL Central champs in 2026.

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