Brewers Star Pitcher Floated As Possible Trade Target For Red Sox

The Brewers and Red Sox could match up well.

Sep 20, 2019; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; A detail view of Boston Red Sox hats and gloves at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images | Kim Klement-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers have some important questions to answer this offseason. They have a few free agents on the pitching side but also are dealing with uncertainty concerning players still on the roster.

After being swept in the National League Championship Series by the Los Angeles Dodgers, the biggest question on everybody’s minds is what will happen with right-hander Freddy Peralta. Matt Arnold originally said that he wasn’t thinking about trading Peralta, but now seems to have changed his tune.

In addition, Jim Bowden of The Athletic was listing potential rotation targets via trade for the Boston Red Sox, and Peralta’s name came up.

Brewers Should Not Trade 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

“There are a lot of options for adding another difference-making starter this offseason, whether it be via trade or free agency. Their first area of focus is likely to be exploring a trade for a starter, such as the Tigers’ Tarik Skubal, the Brewers’ Freddy Peralta, the Twins’ Joe Ryan, the Nationals’ MacKenzie Gore or the Cardinals’ Sonny Gray,” Bowden wrote.

Peralta makes sense as a target for the Red Sox. However, the Brewers still need to be careful about trading him. Unless they have a plan to add a frontline starter in free agency, they need to simply keep the one they already have on their roster.

He has only one year left on his contract, and the Brewers have made it commonplace to trade players in their final year before free agency to bring back a haul of Major League ready talent. They did it with Corbin Burnes in 2024 and Devin Williams this past season, and both times they won the NL Central.

However, with Peralta, it’s different, and there’s more of a risk. When the Brewers traded Burnes, they still had Peralta. When they traded Williams, they still had Trevor Megill who could close games.

Unless they are able to bring in a frontline starter such as Dylan Cease, Zac Gallen or Framber Valdez, then it doesn’t make sense to move Peralta. It’s simply too risky for Milwaukee to even entertain that idea.

They would be best served holding onto him and potentially giving him a contract extension at some point next year, then they wouldn’t have to worry about losing him in free agency.

Arnold should stick to his original plan of wanting to keep Peralta for at least one more year.

More MLB: Brewers May Regret Changing Their Stance On Trading Star Ace