Milwaukee Brewers: Freddy Peralta could change Deadline focus

Freddy Peralta has dominated once again for the Milwaukee Brewers in his fourth big league start. His success could have a long-term impact for the Crew.

The Milwaukee Brewers young pitching prospect has been a revelation in his second stint in the big leagues this season. His Miller Park debut was his best start yet. In seven shutout innings, Peralta struck out 10, walked only one, and allowed only one base hit all night long. He was efficient and he was magnificent.

In his last two starts, Peralta has gone 13 innings, allowing no runs, and striking out 17 while only walking one batter. Overall, Peralta has a 3-0 record in his four starts, with a 1.59 ERA and a 0.71 WHIP. He’s struck out 35 hitters and has allowed only seven base hits.

The best part about this is, Peralta is only getting better. He’s shown improvements each and every time out there. The young hurler is still only 22 years old, and he has tremendous potential.

His performance in these spot starts in place of Zach Davies could have a larger impact than originally thought. He’s performing so well, he deserves a regular rotation spot.

Starting Pitching no longer a major need?

The biggest need for the Milwaukee Brewers coming into this season and coming into this trade deadline is starting pitching, They’ve needed a frontline starter and, with question marks surrounding the return of Jimmy Nelson, it’s been a high priority.

According to the latest rumors, the Brewers are going to aggressively target starting pitchers at the trade deadline. But do they need to now?

If Freddy Peralta sticks in this rotation and continues to pitch the way that he has, there’s no need to add another starter. Peralta could push Suter out of the rotation once Zach Davies returns, and if Jimmy Nelson returns by the end of July, there really isn’t much room for another addition at the deadline.

When the Brewers get to the end of July, the will have to decide between depending on a rookie or getting a veteran for the rotation. While the veteran option may be appealing, if Peralta continues to pitch at this level, he’s effectively a #2 starter.

Saving the Farm

And making Peralta the only addition to the rotation in July saves the Milwaukee Brewers from selling the farm system for a pitcher like Jacob DeGrom. There aren’t that many frontline starters on the trade block this July, making them more expensive than usual.

By keeping Peralta in the rotation and having him perform at a high level, the Brewers can keep other top prospects Keston Hiura and Corbin Burnes and not have to worry about selling the farm for a starter.

This will allow David Stearns to look for upgrades elsewhere, namely in the middle infield and at catcher. Those upgrades won’t cost the farm, depending on how ambitious Stearns is feeling.

In previous years, the Milwaukee Brewers made the mistake of selling the farm for frontline starting pitchers and it gutted the system. It didn’t pay off for them either as they still haven’t won the World Series. There’s no reason to go all out on an acquisition this July. The window is still open for several years for the Brewers. Selling the farm now only shortens that window.

And that’s what makes the start to Peralta’s big league career so important. With his performance alone, he can allow David Stearns to stand pat with his rotation at the deadline and instead look for smaller upgrades on offense that won’t cost the farm rather than a major one that will.

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Peralta is fun to watch, and is quickly becoming a fan favorite in Milwaukee. If he keeps this up, the Brewers will have no choice but to stick with him.

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