Brewers rumors: Freddy Peralta wasn't only Brewers starter other teams tried to acquire

Regardless of how much the Milwaukee Brewers' front office downplayed their interest in trading soon-to-be free agent Freddy Peralta this offseason, it was generally understood that the 2x All-Star starting pitcher was always -- at least to some degree -- on the trade block. A winter of rumors and speculation ultimately culminated in Milwaukee sending Peralta to the New York Mets alongside Tobias Myers in exchange for top prospects Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat.

Before the Brewers' President of Baseball Operations, Matt Arnold, agreed to the deal with his former boss, David Stearns, who now heads the Mets' front office, plenty of other suitors were reportedly interested in Peralta's services. Shortly after the Winter Meetings, the Baltimore Orioles emerged as the favorites to trade for the Brewers' ace, just as they did two years ago when they acquired Corbin Burnes ahead of his final year before free agency. Then, in early January, the New York Yankees seemed liked the leading candidate to land Peralta, which would have been the second consecutive year that Brian Cashman acquired a pitcher from Milwaukee, seeing as he swung a deal for Devin Williams last offseason.

Through it all, one team that was searching for ways to add another veteran presence to their starting staff was the Atlanta Braves. Atlanta, whose front office is led by Alex Anthopoulos, was reportedly interested in Peralta throughout the offseason, but that wasn't the only Brewers starter they called about.

According to Rosenthal, the Atlanta Braves tried to acquire Brandon Woodruff this offseason

Atlanta had a number of injuries in their starting rotation last year, which was a large reason for the team's lack of success in 2025. Though that development caused concern among Braves fans in regard to the team's starting depth heading into the 2026 season, the front office still hasn't added a big-league starter to their roster this offseason. However, it wasn't due to a lack of trying.

According to MLB insider Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Braves were one of the many teams who "checked in" on Peralta. However, what was far more shocking from Rosenthal's recent report was that Atlanta also tried to acquire Brandon Woodruff this offseason. Rosenthal's report leads his readers to believe that Atlanta's pursuit of Woodruff happened prior to the veteran right-hander accepting the Brewers' qualifying offer, but it's not impossible that the Braves' interest extended past Woody's acceptance of the $22.025 million salary. That said, for Atlanta to acquire Woodruff in a trade after he accepted the qualifying offer, the longest-tenured Brewer would have had to sign off on the deal, which was highly unlikely.

Had Atlanta signed Woodruff before he accepted the qualifying offer, the Brewers' offseason would have looked very different. Arnold cited Woodruff's return to the Brewers this offseason as a reason why the team was comfortable trading Peralta to the Mets, so who knows how the situation would have played out had Woody taken an offer elsewhere back in early November.

Meanwhile, Atlanta could really use another starter right now. Not only have they not added one to their rotation mix this offseason, but they've now lost both Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep to injuries in the first few days of Spring Training. Options still remain for the Braves, but none that have the upside of Woodruff.

The development is a great reminder of the interconnectedness of an MLB offseason. Had Woodruff made a different decision back in November, the ripple effects would have impacted more than just Milwaukee's offseason. Brewers fans are certainly happy that the fan favorite Woodruff made the decision that he did and will remain in Milwaukee for the 2026 season.