3 Freddy Peralta trade suitors Brewers must hang the phone up on immediately

Death, taxes, and the Milwaukee Brewers trading their best pitcher one year out from free agency.

It's become a recurring tradition at this point, but with recent rumors swirling around Freddy Peralta, it appears the Brewers, fresh off an appearance in the NLCS and MLB-best 97 wins in the regular season, will at least entertain the idea of continuing to shop their stars instead of handing them lucrative contract extensions.

There's a much larger discussion to be had here -- one that, unfortunately, involves talk of another lockout in 2027 -- but from Milwaukee's perspective, the most important thing now is getting the best return package for their ace.

However, that doesn't mean the Crew should hold an "open to all" auction. There are a few teams out there who could probably offer the Brewers an enticing trade for Peralta, but their status as a contender or standing in the National League hierarchy should land them on the front office's "do not respond" list.

To put it simply, if any of these following teams call Matt Arnold regarding Peralta this winter, I'd advise him to follow Andy Samberg's advice at the 1:17 mark of the hit music video "Threw It On The Ground".

Before we get started, I'll note that you won't find the Chicago Cubs anywhere on this list. It's true that they need an ace of Peralta's caliber in the worst way, but after seeing the "unwelcoming" reception Nico Harrison received from Dallas Mavericks fans after trading Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers, I'll presume Arnold has no interest in becoming public enemy No. 1 in Milwaukee by sending his ace to join Craig Counsell on the North Side of Chicago.

3 teams the Brewers must avoid trading Freddy Peralta to this offseason

Los Angeles Dodgers

There's not a ton of explanation needed here.

Besides the fact that the pitching-rich Dodgers just emasculated the Brewers' offense in the NLCS, there's a simple notion that the wealthiest team in baseball simply needs no help. The reigning champions are four wins away from becoming the first repeat World Series winner since 2000, and it doesn't exactly behoove the win-now Brewers to help out the best team in the Senior Circuit.

Of course, even if Milwaukee keeps Peralta away on the trade market, the Dodgers could just sign him in free agency next year (lockout pending). There might be no way to stop that from happening, but sending Peralta far away from Los Angeles would at least increase the Brewers' odds in 2026.

Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies are in a similar boat as the Dodgers as one of the NL's elite teams, though their older and expensive roster doesn't exactly put them in the same long-term class.

And that's exactly why the Brewers need to avoid dealing with Dave Dombrowski here. The Phillies have a metric ton of cash invested in players age 32 or older. In 2026 alone, Zach Wheeler, Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, and Aaron Nola will combine for more than $119 million in salary payments. For reference, the Brewers' payroll this year was an estimated $123 million.

Trading Peralta, who won't turn 30 until June of next year, bails the Phillies out in that regard, especially if they extend him. His $8 million salary in 2026 looks like peanuts compared to the rest of Philadelphia's roster, and Peralta is six years Wheeler’s junior.

This is simply a case of not running into a burning building. The Phillies are near the end of their contention window, and the Brewers have no incentive to help them out.

Detroit Tigers

At the risk of sounding like Charlie Day in that one It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia meme, I'm going to need you to hear me out on this one.

At first glance, the Tigers seem like perfect trade partners for Peralta. They're in the American League, significantly reducing the risk of Peralta burning the Crew in the postseason. They also have the money to re-sign him and keep him away from the Dodgers and Cubs.

The issue? The Tigers' own ace, Tarik Skubal, is entrenched in trade rumors of his own, and an acquisition of Peralta would almost certainly increase the odds of a subsequent Skubal trade. Then, the Tigers would use the logic above and determine that trading Skubal to a National League contender with money to keep him out of the AL forever would be the right play, thereby potentially handing the best pitcher in the sport to one of the Brewers' biggest rivals. Thus, Milwaukee would be left with no Peralta AND the prospect of facing Skubal in the playoffs.

A conspiracy? Maybe. A turn of events the Brewers should feel comfortable setting in motion? Absolutely not.