Brewers President Hints Milwaukee Landed Two Stars in Freddy Peralta Trade

The Milwaukee Brewers had to love what they saw in Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams.

Almost without room for debate, the Brewers traded away the best player to be shipped out in a deal across Major League Baseball all winter in starting pitcher Freddy Peralta. But they also knew it was probably a choice between moving him now or losing him in a year.

In Sproat and Williams, two consensus top-five prospects in the New York Mets organization at the time, the Brewers see a pair of franchise cornerstones. President of baseball operations Matt Arnold recently opened up on the specific traits that made each of them a target in the deal.

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Arnold sounds off on Sproat, Williams

Milwaukee Brewers infielder/outfielder Jett Williams rounds third base during spring training workouts Monday, February 16, 2026, at American Family Fields of Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona. | Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Sproat, who is firmly in the mix for a rotation spot in Milwaukee after making his major league debut late last season for the Mets, drew praise from Arnold for his raw velocity and potential to develop a well-rounded arsenal.

“We have loved Sproat’s arm going back to when he was at Florida,” Arnold said, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post. “The other day here he was throwing 100 (mph) with a really good power sinker. He has the ingredients for a good slider and has kind of messed around with a cutter — that’s a 94-95 (mph) cutter that’s really interesting. We see youth, pitchability and upside.”

Williams, who is probably ticketed for Triple-A after the Brewers signed infielder Luis Rengifo, brings a wide-ranging toolkit despite his 5-foot-7 stature, and Arnold was bullish on how he fit in with Milwaukee's culture.

“He’s always been a little overlooked because of his size,” Arnold told Sherman. “But he has real tools. Speed, power, athleticism, twitch, gamer. He’s tough to play against. He fits our brand. Versatile. Willing to do anything, play anywhere, a hard-nosed kid who will fit Pat Murphy’s style.”

Typically, the team acquiring the established star always feels like it won the trade. But the Brewers operate in such a way that they have effectively convinced us at this point that at least one, if not both of Williams and Sproat, will become stars soon.