Brewers Might Demand Red Sox-Garrett Crochet Type Package To Trade Ace

Milwaukee Brewers fans are waiting with anticipation to see what the team will do at the trade deadline.

The Brewers would be in the postseason via Wild Card if the season ended right now. Pat Murphy’s club was 47-37 entering Tuesday. Normally, these are indicators that a team would be buyers at the deadline, or at least hold.

But Milwaukee isn’t your typical organization. The Brewers’ front office has a recent history of trading away its top players just before they become too expensive.

Could Freddy Peralta become the next example?

FanSided’s Tyler Koerth discussed that possibility recently and predicted what kind of return Milwaukee would have to see to cut ties with Peralta.

“Right now, the Brewers appear positioned to be buyers, but that hasn't always been the narrative this season, and if they falter over the next six weeks, that stance could again shift,” Koerth wrote. “If it does, a franchise-altering trade could be on the table (with a strong emphasis on the word "could”).”

“When the Brewers were slumping earlier in the year, Freddy Peralta's name was floated as a potential trade candidate. Incentivizing this thinking was the fact that he has 1.5 years of team control left, his proven track record of success, and that a return package would be massive if he were dealt this summer. Additionally, the Brewers have a ton of starting pitching options with several waiting in Triple-A and even more soon returning from injury.”

“On the flip side, Milwaukee knows what trading a valuable piece like Peralta mid-season can do to the clubhouse's chemistry and overall morale. However, with the sides reportedly not being able to agree on an extension beyond 2026 yet, it might only be a matter of time before he meets the same fate that Josh Hader, Corbin Burnes, and Devin Williams all met. Even still, a severance of Peralta and the Brewers relationship would require an irresistible return.”

“For the Brewers to trade Freddy Peralta at the deadline, the return would have to be overwhelming … they would also have to receive an offer that everyone agrees is a steep overpay.”

Koerth then pondered whether, in the event of a Peralta trade, the Brewers could demand something close to what the Boston Red Sox sent to the Chicago White Sox for Garrett Crochet.

In comparing the two situations, Koerth noted that while Peralta’s remaining team control time (1.5 years) would be less than what Crochet’s was (two years), Peralta represents a more reliable starter from an innings volume and health standpoint. “Prior to the trade, Crochet had eclipsed the 100-inning mark just once in his career and has a long history of injuries,” Koerth wrote.

Koerth also noted that Crochet is five years younger than Peralta (a significant gap), but that Peralta being a deadline chip (compared to Crochet’s offseason trade) also means that teams would be more desperate in their offers.

Ultimately, Koerth came to the conclusion that, for the Brewers to consider trading Peralta, they’d need to be staring at a somewhat similar return to the Crochet package.

“A return would have to look pretty similar to the two MLB Top-100 prospects (Kyle Teel and Branden Montgomery) and two Top-30 Red Sox prospects (Chase Meidroth and Wikelman Gonzalez) that Boston gave up for Crochet in order for the Brewers to even consider trading Peralta,” Koerth wrote.

Koerth’s valuation might be a stretch, even given Peralta’s excellence.

But the main point here is that Milwaukee is unlikely to deal their ace before July 31, especially as they once again look poised to make noise in the playoff race.

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