Brewers rumors: Reports suggest inevitability of Peralta blockbuster in coming weeks

There was little chance of the Milwaukee Brewers trading Freddy Peralta in the early months of the offseason. A trade of an inexpensive ace like Peralta is not a situation where the Brewers take the first offer they like and run with it. Rather, if a trade were to happen, it was always going to be delayed until the later parts of the offseason, when the free agent market for starting pitchers was essentially tapped out and potential suitors were more desperate.

Milwaukee's President of Baseball Operations, Matt Arnold, reflected this sentiment in his post-season press conference, which took place shortly after the Brewers were eliminated from the postseason by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Arnold saying that trading Peralta was "not on the front of his mind" on October 24, was not only a tactical play to ensure that the rest of the league knew the Brewers' stance when it came to potentially trading their ace; it was the truth. In the early parts of the offseason, the Brewers weren't thinking about trading Peralta. Instead, they were waiting for his price to rise and for more teams to put forth overwhelming trade packages for the organization's front office to consider when the time was right.

Well, now that time is upon us. Less than one month remains until pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training, the top-tier free agent starting pitching market is all but tapped out, and the interest in Peralta's services at his reasonable 2026 salary of $8 million is seemingly higher than ever. In the wake of a busy week of free agent signings, during which the big-market squads gained a clearer understanding of the make-up of their 2026 rosters, reports of teams being interested in the Brewers' ace are popping up left and right, suggesting that it's not a matter of if Milwaukee trades their All-Star pitcher anymore, but rather a matter of when.

MLB insider Jon Heyman, among others, reports overwhelming interest in Freddy Peralta as Spring Training draws nearer

Though the rumors have steadily poured in throughout the offseason, the recent batch of them, reinforced by the clarity that now exists in the trade and free agent markets, seems to hold more weight. Yesterday, on the social media platform X, a breeding ground for inaccurate reports and misinformation, trusted MLB insider Jon Heyman made the following post:

It's not necessarily new information; all of the teams that Heyman lists have reportedly been interested in Peralta throughout the offseason, but given the recent activity on the free agent market, this rumor feels more real than others that have surfaced this winter. Both New York teams, with whom Heyman has plenty of inside sources, are feeling the pressure from their fanbases to execute impact moves, especially after the Dodgers' stunning agreement with Kyle Tucker. Already, this pressure has manifested into the New York Mets forcing Bo Bichette onto their roster when a clear spot didn't exist, while paying the former Toronto Blue Jay a whopping $42 million per season.

The New York Yankees, meanwhile, have done basically nothing this offseason after falling to their division rivals, the Blue Jays, in the 2025 ALDS. Pair that with the fact that smaller-market teams who are on the bubble of the playoff picture can afford Peralta's contract, and the likelihood of the Brewers eventually receiving an offer they simply can't refuse is very high.

Adding to the pressure that the Yankees, Mets, and the rest of the baseball world feel, is the fact that the Dodgers are not only listed among the interested parties, but one report suggests they are "strongly pushing" a Peralta trade. The report comes from MLB insider Héctor Gómez, who may not have quite the same credibility as Heyman, but certainly holds enough to make the report worth monitoring.

A trade to the Dodgers, given their recent signing of Tucker, would be tough to swallow not only for Brewers fans but the baseball world as a whole. However, Los Angeles' presence in the market does increase the chances of one of the New York teams or another organization overpaying for one year of Peralta's services.

So, while the Brewers maintain their position that they need to be blown away by an offer to trade Peralta this offseason, the chances of such a trade package materializing in the coming weeks are higher than ever. Teams are desperate, the free agent market is drying up, and practically every team that wants to compete in 2026 has the financial resources to land Peralta. Therefore, while it certainly won't be easy to watch Peralta go, if a blockbuster does occur, the package of players coming back to Milwaukee is likely to at least somewhat ease the pain.