Freddy Peralta's Rays debut further underscored why Brewers didn't pursue trade deadline reunion

After spending the first eight years of his major league career with one organization, 2x All-Star Freddy Peralta has added two new teams to his resume in the last eight months. He was first dealt to the New York Mets from the Milwaukee Brewers in an offseason blockbuster that caused outrage from ill-informed analysts wondering why the Brew Crew didn't keep him and go "all in." Then, after the Mets and their "all in" roster posted a brutal 47-65 record through August 1, Peralta was traded on the eve of "deadline day" to the Tampa Bay Rays.

The former Brewers ace made his Rays debut last night, and the change of scenery did not immediately have the impact Peralta was hoping it would. After posting a 4.99 ERA in 22 starts with the Mets this year, Peralta's first start with Tampa Bay lasted just 3.2 innings and saw the veteran right-hander surrender seven earned runs on nine hits. He struck out just three batters and surrendered two homers, but the Rays did come back to win a thriller in extra innings over the Colorado Rockies.

Though it's been a tough season for Peralta on the mound, the former Brewer remains one of the best clubhouse presences in the sport. Just this morning, a report from Jorge Castillo of ESPN.com noted that it was Peralta who facilitated the meeting between Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto that allowed the two stars to "work through their disconnect." Paired with his history in Milwaukee, and the Brewers' emphasis on adding the right people to their clubhouse at the trade deadline, some speculated that Matt Arnold and company may try to re-acquire Peralta over the weekend.

However, despite a report suggesting that the Rays "stole" Peralta from the Brewers, team insider Adam McCalvy confirmed that Milwaukee's front office never really considered adding their former ace at the deadline. Instead, Peralta landed with the Rays, putting an end to his time in New York, and leaving Brewers fans thinking about how wise their front office was to trade the veteran right-hander during the offseason.

What trade package could Brewers have gotten for Freddy Peralta if he'd gone directly to Rays this offseason?

When Peralta was traded the first time, Milwaukee received a pair of highly touted prospects in return: RHP Brandon Sproat and INF Jett Williams. At the time of the deal, both were Top 100 prospects per MLB Pipeline and Baseball America. At the deadline, New York received three prospects: OF Aidan Smith, RHP Gary Gill Hill, and INF Emilien Pitre. None of these prospects are ranked on a prestigious Top 100 list, but at the time of the deal were the Rays' No. 15, No. 26, and No. 27-ranked prospects, respectively.

When the Brewers traded Peralta in January, they did so with the expectation that the Mets would receive at least one full season of his services, and said services were expected to be "All-Star caliber." Milwaukee dealt Peralta at a time where he had recorded three consecutive seasons with at least 200 strikeouts, 30 starts, and a 3.40 ERA over that stretch, making him one of the more durable and productive starters available on the trade market, and his cost was therefore high. New York also had the flexibility to pursue a contract extension or, if negotiations fell short, issue him a qualifying offer after the season.

Fast forward to August 2, the Mets traded Peralta with just a few months remaining in the regular season. He also had not been performing to his standard, evidenced by his 4.99 season ERA and a strikeout per nine innings pitched ratio of 8.9, significantly down from his 10.9 career mark. A combination of diminished performance and less remaining team control significantly reduced Peralta's trade value. While the Mets did receive three prospects in return, the overall quality of that package doesn't compare to what the Brewers acquired when they dealt him just months earlier.

Had the Rays tried to acquire Peralta during the offseason, it likely would have required them to part ways with one of their two top catching prospects, Nathan Flewelling or Caden Bonine, both of whom currently rank in MLB Pipeline's Top 100. On top of that, Tampa Bay may have also had to part ways with one of their young pitchers, someone like Ian Seymour, to meet Milwaukee's demand for controllable pitching, which was ultimately filled by Brandon Sproat.

The difference between what the Rays would have had to pay for Peralta in the offseason and what they ultimately parted ways with for the veteran right-hander at the deadline highlights just how wise the Brewers' front office was to deal their former ace during the offseason. Assuming Milwaukee and Peralta had similar seasons in a hypothetical world where he wasn't dealt to the Mets during the offseason, the Brewers wouldn't have been able to deal their clubhouse leader at the deadline and would have perhaps been left with the worst-case scenario where they didn't improve their roster via trade and Peralta underperformed. If there was still any lingering doubt, it's now even more clear that the Brewers' front office made the right decision by dealing Peralta this past offseason.

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