The Five Best Freddy Peralta Mock Trade For the Milwaukee Brewers

During the 2025 season, baseball fans were greeted with a flurry of surprises across the league.

From teams like the Atlanta Braves and Baltimore Orioles moving from playoff favorites to finishing below .500, and surprising individual performances, the season was full of shocking twists and turns.

One of the biggest surprises was the rise of the Milwaukee Brewers, who seemingly came out of nowhere to finish the season with the best record in baseball.

This was so surprising, in fact, that our staff didn’t even have the Milwaukee Brewers making it to the Postseason in our preseason predictions.

However, things quickly fell apart for the club once they reached October, as they faced a brutal, four-game sweep in the NLCS, falling to the eventual World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Now, in the New Year, trade talks are beginning to pick up some serious steam across the league. With multiple teams in the mix, there’s a decent chance Freddy Peralta will be wearing a different uniform on Opening Day.

Given that Peralta finished 2025 with an ERA of 2.70 with over 200 strikeouts in 176.2 innings, whichever team pulls this deal off will be getting a legitimate ace.

The fact that he is only making $8 million this year makes Peralta all the more attractive to teams, opening the door for a small-market team to get in the bidding to trade for him, or for the Brewers to just hold onto him in his walk year.

Let’s dive in and examine five potential suitors, along with the types of packages they could offer.

New York Mets

Mets Receive: RHP Freddy Peralta

There’s no need to sugarcoat it; this offseason has been brutal for the New York Mets. Not only did they lose their two biggest free agents, Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz, but they’ve followed up these exits with little effort to address the holes that have appeared in their roster.

Although the Mets’ rotation has come a long way in the last year or so, they still lack a true ace at the top of their rotation. This is exactly where Freddy Peralta comes in, as the Mets possess both the prospect package to acquire him and the funds to keep him in Queens.

Peralta is coming off a tremendous 2025 campaign. Not only did he pitch to a 2.70 ERA across 176.2 innings with 200 strikeouts, but he was one of the best right-handers in the sport at limiting hard contact. Opponents maintained a hard-hit rate of just 34.5% against Peralta last season, which ranked inside the league’s 90th percentile.

Had he pitched for the Mets last season, Peralta’s production would’ve blown away the rest of his competition. The Mets only had three starting pitchers reach the 100-inning mark in 2025, and not a single one posted an ERA below 3.00. Also, David Peterson led these three arms in strikeouts with 150, a number Peralta clears with ease.

Aside from the Mets’ need for an ace of this caliber in their rotation, the two biggest questions will surround Peralta’s expiring contract and the return the Brewers could be looking for.

Luckily for the Mets, they’ve consistently been over the luxury tax threshold since Steve Cohen bought the team in late 2020. They should have no issue making a legitimate offer to keep him in Queens following the season, but closing deals has proven to be a difficult task, especially given how this offseason has panned out.

As for the return, the Mets have plenty of prospects they could move on from in trade without any serious consequences. The Brewers want an MLB-ready starting pitcher with control in return for Peralta, and the Mets have two top 100 prospects they could deal in Brandon Sproat or Jonah Tong.

Nolan McLean is untouchable for the Mets, and Tong may be too, as he had arguably the most dominant season in all of minor league baseball last season. Instead, we are going to build a mock around the most likely piece to headline this deal, and that is Brandon Sproat.

Brewers Receive: RHP Brandon Sproat (JB #87), INF Jacob Reimer (JB #93)

While parting with Freddy Peralta won’t be easy, this package is worth it for the Brewers.

They’d be receiving two of Just Baseball’s top 100 prospects, which is a huge win for one year of Peralta, especially considering that an extension is unlikely.

Sproat is the biggest piece of this deal by a small margin. The right-hander is known for his sharp stuff, as he has the potential to develop at least three above-average pitches at the next level.

His changeup has been his strongest offering, and it’s looked like one of the better changeups in the minor leagues at times.

Sproat pitched to an ERA just over 4.24 in 121 Triple-A innings last season, as his command was a bit of an issue early on. However, things came together for him near the end of the season, which eventually led to Sproat making four big league starts before the season’s end.

Sproat is an arm the Brewers could immediately add to their rotation, and it’s not bold to say that he’d immediately have an impact. If his command finds some more consistency, he could be a nice arm at the front of their rotation with fallback as a high-leverage reliever.

On top of Sproat, infielder Jacob Reimer would also head back to Milwaukee. Another Just Baseball top 100 prospect, Reimer took a massive step forward offensively in 2025 between two levels.

Playing exactly 61 games at High-A and Double-A, Reimer hit wherever he went. Between both levels, he slashed .282/.379/.491 with 17 homers and a 157 wRC+. Another positive part of his game was that he walked at a clip slightly over 11%, which will help him even more as he moves up the system.

Although the Brewers are loaded with infield talent, Reimer is a guy who could make a big league impact sooner than the rest.

With Reimer posting a 150 wRC+ in Double-A, it’s not unrealistic to say he’d start the season in Triple-A, which puts him on track for a big league debut potentially in the first half of the season.

Overall, if the Brewers can land this package for Peralta, it’ll be a huge win. They’ll get two top 100 prospects who could impact them positively and quickly, which is going to be important for their next young core.

Atlanta Braves

Braves Receive: RHP Freddy Peralta

Over the past two to three seasons, the Atlanta Braves have put together a very solid rotation. Not only did Chris Sale take home the 2024 National League Cy Young Award, but young arms like Spencer Schwellenbach and AJ Smith-Shawver have showcased sharp stuff at times.

Those three arms alone round out a good group at the top of their rotation, and this is without mentioning Spencer Strider. At times, Strider has flashed the potential to be one of the best starters in the game, but in his first season pitching with his surgically repaired elbow, Strider struggled to find his pre-injury form.

Aside from these four arms being incredibly talented, they share something else in common: their inability to stay healthy and throw significant innings down the stretch. This is exactly where Freddy Peralta comes in, as he’s a huge help in this area alone.

For starters, the Braves had five starting pitchers record over 100 innings this season, with the highest total being Bryce Elder’s 156.1 innings. Peralta has surpassed that mark in each of his last three seasons, with his lowest total being 165.2 innings back in 2023.

When it comes to his on-field production, Peralta is just as valuable. He would’ve led the Braves in fWAR by a small margin and only missed out on the team’s ERA crown by a tiny amount, as Chris Sale had a slight edge on him. However, Peralta would’ve also led the team in strikeouts by 48.

After losing Smith-Shawver to Tommy John surgery in June of 2025, the Braves could really benefit from adding another ace-caliber arm to their rotation. Peralta would make this rotation even more dangerous, immediately slotting in as the team’s number two starter behind Chris Sale.

Similarly to the Mets, the question then shifts to whether or not the Braves have the pieces to pull off this move in trade, and whether they can keep him after his contract expires. While the extension is a bit more unclear, they absolutely have the pieces to pull off this deal.

Admittedly, this move would take a lot out of their farm system. They’d lose a member of our top 100 in JR Ritchie, and a highly coveted second-rounder in Alex Lodise, alongside one other piece in Jhancarlos Lara. However, for an arm of Peralta’s caliber, this is well worth it if the Braves want to escape their rough 2025 season.

Brewers Receive: RHP JR Ritchie (JB #94), INF Alex Lodise, RHP Jhancarlos Lara

As for the Milwaukee Brewers, this is another deal where they end up getting a star-studded return. Although it doesn’t feature two top 100 prospects like the Mets’ deal, they’ll be taking home a highly-regarded prospect in righty JR Ritchie, as well as two other solid pieces.

Beginning with Ritchie, he’d undoubtedly be the biggest piece of this deal. He’s currently ranked as our 94th-ranked prospect, and his 2025 season was a big reason why. He refined a lot of his arsenal last year, including the ability to constantly keep the ball on the ground.

Moving between three levels this year, Ritchie posted a 2.64 ERA, 140 strikeouts, while only allowing 12 home runs all season long. Ritchie was also rewarded for his 2025 contest by starting last year’s Futures Game. Ritchie has a legitimate chance to be an impactful big league arm very soon, potentially even near the top of the rotation.

After a stellar two seasons at Florida State, the Atlanta Braves selected Alex Lodise in the second round of the 2025 MLB Draft, with high hopes for his future. He immediately made an impact in his first 25 games, as he skipped Low-A and began his pro career one step closer to the big leagues.

In this span, Lodise slashed .252/.294/.398 with one homer and a 110 wRC+. Although he’s shown the tendency to chase out of the strike zone a little bit, the power potential and his overall ceiling with the bat are something the Brewers could dream on.

They’ve developed a lot of similar college hitters, and Lodise could be the next member of this group.

The final member of this deal would be Jhancarlos Lara, a right-hander who is a bit more of a work in progress. Despite posting an ERA above 7.73 between Double-A and Triple-A, he struck out 104 batters in 68.2 innings, which isn’t something to take lightly.

This is largely due to his slider, which generated fantastic results on the mound. As more of a sweeper, this pitch generated plenty of swings and misses in 2025. If he can find the strike zone more consistently, there’s a lot to like in Lara’s game.

All things considered, this package has a lot to be excited about for one year of Peralta. These three players have each shown potential, and there’s the possibility that Ritchie could be a front-line arm in no time.

New York Yankees

Yankees Receive: RHP Freddy Peralta

The New York Yankees have a legitimate argument to be the most interesting suitor in this story. While it’s been a relatively quiet offseason for the club, it isn’t for a lack of trying, as they’ve just failed to meet the mark a few times now.

Their most recent attempt to make a legitimate addition to the team came in the form of Edward Cabrera, yet the club ultimately failed to complete the deal, and Cabrera was instead dealt to the Chicago Cubs. To this point, they haven’t inked a multi-year free agent, either.

Freddy Peralta has a chance to be the turning point for the Yankees this offseason, as he’d add that extra level of starting pitching depth they hoped to add with Cabrera.

For starters, the Yankees possess a very good group of starting pitchers on the surface. Max Fried and Carlos Rodon finished in the top six in American League Cy Young voting, and their starting pitchers collectively posted an ERA of 3.61, the fourth-best mark in the sport.

However, they face a similar issue to many of the teams on this list in terms of uncertainty and a lack of depth at the back end of their rotation.

The Yankees had just three starters record over 100 innings pitched, and neither Gerrit Cole nor Carlos Rodon is expected to return by Opening Day of 2026.

This leaves Ryan Yarborough as their projected fifth starter, despite seeing the majority of his innings in relief during the 2025 season.

This is exactly where Freddy Peralta can stand in and make a legitimate impact.

Peralta does possess a high fly-ball rate, which may lead fans to raise questions about how he’d fit Yankee Stadium due to the reputation it has as a hitter-friendly ballpark.

However, with this being overblown and Yankee Stadium having some of the most outfield territory in the league, Peralta would’ve allowed the same number of home runs in 2025 if he had spent the entire season pitching there.

Despite possessing a relatively weaker farm system for significant trade packages, the Yankees have a lot to offer, especially if they’re willing to include Luis Gil in the deal. They also have the finances to extend Peralta, which makes this deal even better.

Brewers Receive: RHP Luis Gil, OF Spencer Jones, RHP Carlos Lagrange (JB #95)

The New York Yankees have a few pieces that would be very intriguing to the Milwaukee Brewers. The first of which is 2024 AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil.

After pitching to a 3.50 ERA and striking out 171 batters in 151 2/3 innings pitched back in 2024, Gil struggled to stay on the mound in 2025. Due to a high-grade lat strain he sustained in spring training, Gil was limited to just 11 starts.

He still pitched to a 3.32 ERA, but his strikeout numbers plummeted, as his K-rate dropped exactly 10% from 26.8% in 2024 to 16.8% in 2025. The stock is a bit down on Gil, but we are still talking about a 27-year-old with a live arm and three more years of control.

If nothing else, Gil has the fallback of being a high-leverage reliever if things really break down, but there is still plenty of hope that he can figure it out again and be a plug-and-play starter for the Brewers in 2026.

To hedge any concern about Gil, the Yankees are also going to include top prospect Carlos Lagrange in this deal, their top pitching prospect. Lagrange finished last season in Double-A, where he pitched to a 3.56 ERA in 78 1/3 innings pitched.

The final piece is a polarizing one, as many are divided on his future outlook.

Spencer Jones has prodigious power, hitting 35 home runs in 116 games last year. He also stole 29 bases. The problem is that he ran a strikeout rate of 35.4%.

For more on this package, check out last week’s Playing GM episode for the New York Yankees, where Peter Appel first pitched this trade.

Boston Red Sox

Red Sox Receive: RHP Freddy Peralta

So far this winter, the Boston Red Sox have remained a fairly active team, as they’ve looked to primarily address their rotation and have added Willson Contreras. They’ve done a lot to address the first point, but still lack the one final piece to push their rotation over the hill.

Their two biggest acquisitions on the starting pitching front came in the form of trades, as they landed a pair of solid right-handers from the National League Central.

Johan Oviedo and Sonny Gray were these two pieces, and they both instantly make this rotation a lot better than it finished last season.

However, with the team’s fifth starter currently projected to be Patrick Sandoval, this team could really use one final front-end arm to push them into World Series contender territory. Freddy Peralta is the perfect option here, as he allows their rotation to have a lot more flexibility as well.

For starters, while Sonny Gray is coming off yet another solid season, he showed signs of regression while on the mound. His barrel rate has jumped considerably over the past two seasons, and last year, his ERA followed suit. Pushing him to the third spot in the rotation is the best-case scenario here, and this move allows the Red Sox to do just that.

Also, there are still some definite concerns surrounding how Bryan Bello and Johan Oviedo will perform next season.

Due to needing Tommy John surgery, Oviedo hasn’t thrown much since 2023, and his control was a noticeable issue when he returned in 2025. Bello has also proven to be a streaky arm during his time in this rotation, which is something the Red Sox will have to account for.

While adding Peralta doesn’t magically answer these two questions specifically, it does allow the Red Sox to have another level of security in case these areas become larger issues in 2026. Pairing Peralta with Garrett Crochet would also give the Red Sox a tremendous one-two punch at the top of the rotation, a dangerous asset once October comes around.

They undoubtedly have the finances to keep Peralta in Boston long-term, which would be huge for the club moving forward. The asking price will be hefty, but it’s worth it when they have a chance to land an arm of this caliber in the process.

Brewers Receive: LHP Payton Tolle (JB #33), RHP David Sandlin

Out of all the packages presented in this story, this package has a chance to be the best return for the Brewers, as Payton Tolle brings a ton of potential to the Brewers’ future rotation. When paired with Jacob Misiorowski, this duo has a chance to dominate the NL Central for years to come.

On paper, Tolle’s numbers during his big league stint in 2025 were far from impressive. He posted an ERA over 6.00 through his first 16.1 innings pitched, yet he showcased plenty of dominant stuff along the way.

Tolle’s calling card is his four-seam fastball, which, when paired with his elite extension and arm slot, gives the pitch 70-grade potential at the major league level. His arsenal doesn’t end there, either, as his slider, changeup, and curveball could all be valuable offerings once he refines them.

If Tolle can refine his arsenal in the Brewers’ pitching lab, he could become one of the nastiest young left-handers the sport has to offer. He’s struggled with his control, but this is something that could be worked out with more in-game action. If he can’t stick as a starting pitcher, Tolle has elite closer upside, too.

Tolle wouldn’t be the only exciting arm heading back to Milwaukee in this deal, as right-hander David Sandlin could be another very solid pickup for the Brewers.

Sandlin spent the majority of his 2025 season in Double-A, where he was quite sharp. However, he struggled once he received his Triple-A promotion. In 106 innings between both stops, Sandlin pitched to a 4.50 ERA, while rarely allowing home runs along the way.

His fastball, slider, and splitter have all flashed plus potential, which gives me a lot of faith in his future despite his Triple-A struggles. Also, Sandlin bounced between roles as a reliever and starter, and if he’s given consistent innings in one role over the other, he could become far more comfortable and pitch better as a result.

Landing Tolle and Sandlin in this deal would be a massive win for the Brewers, as their future rotation becomes much better. Pairing these two arms with Jacob Misiorowski is a huge win and could produce a fantastic result.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Dodgers Receive: RHP Freddy Peralta

This winter has been relatively quiet in comparison to the previous offseasons for the Los Angeles Dodgers. They’ve made one major splash in the form of signing star closer Edwin Diaz to a three-year, $69 million deal, and they’ve made minor moves outside of that.

In all fairness, the Dodgers don’t need a true blockbuster to push them over the edge, and potential World Series favorites again as they look to three-peat.

While this isn’t a necessity, there are still areas where they could make a big move, and landing right-hander Freddy Peralta is one of these moves they could make.

As it currently stands, the Dodgers have a star-studded, six-man rotation headlined by numerous All-Star caliber arms. The trio of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, and Tyler Glasnow is arguably the best front-end of a rotation in the sport, and this isn’t even considering that Shohei Ohtani will be back on the mound for the entirety of the 2026 season.

However, if there’s one issue the Dodgers constantly run into as the season progresses, it’s injuries. The only starting pitchers to eclipse the 100-inning mark for the team this season were Clayton Kershaw and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, which speaks to the health struggles that they’ve faced.

Adding Freddy Peralta to this group is another safety net in case things go south once again, as he’s proven he can stay healthy and eat up significant innings over the past few seasons.

Also, although Roki Sasaki looked sharp in relief down the stretch last season, he’s still a potential question mark due to how much he struggled while he was a starting pitcher earlier in the season. Peralta is another piece that keeps the pressure off Sasaki and gives the team more flexibility.

Given the Dodgers’ ability to develop prospects and their regular willingness to spend well above the luxury tax threshold, they won’t have an issue acquiring Peralta or keeping him long-term, either.

Brewers Receive: RHP Ben Casparius, INF Alex Freeland (JB #51)

In the majority of the mock trades we’ve presented in this story, the Milwaukee Brewers have walked away with at least one top 100 prospect, and this deal is no different.

Alex Freeland, our 51st-ranked prospect, is the main piece heading back alongside reliever Ben Casparius, which makes this package a very good return.

Beginning with Freeland, he’s flashed a very well-rounded and polished offensive game throughout his time in the minor leagues. Last season was no different, as he slashed .263/.384/.451 with 16 homers and a 115 wRC+ in 106 Triple-A games.

Following this, Freeland was given a chance to make his big league debut, but eventually struggled in his first 29 games, posting a sub-75 wRC+. However, his plate discipline and raw tools are still worth buying into, especially if he’s given the chance to make regular starts for the Brewers in 2026.

As for Casparius, he is a fairly interesting piece, despite posting a 4.64 ERA in 77.2 innings last season. He was elite at limiting hard contact, as his hard-hit rate of 31.9% placed him inside the 97th percentile.

It wouldn’t take much for the Brewers to turn him into a solid bullpen piece, something they’ve had a lot of success doing the last few seasons. Arms like Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill are clear examples of this, alongside a range of other arms.

Casparius also has experience starting, and the Brewers have a much easier rotation to crack than the Dodgers, giving him the potential to be even more valuable in Milwaukee.

While this package might be weaker on the surface than some of the others presented in this story, this return would still be a solid risk to take for the Brewers. If their player development comes through, both Freeland and Casparius can easily become above-average pieces for their 2026 roster.