How Matt Arnold, Brewers turned a minor league signing into key piece of Peralta trade

As most fans are probably aware of by now, Freddy Peralta is no longer a member of the Milwaukee Brewers. Last night, following an offseason of rumors and speculation, Matt Arnold, the Brewers' President of Baseball Operations, struck a deal with his former boss, David Stearns, sending Peralta and Tobias Myers to the New York Mets in exchange for top prospects Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat.

Most Brewers fans saw the trade coming; Milwaukee has not been shy about trading away their departing stars in exchange for rising talent that allows them to extend their competitive window. The strategy, made necessary by the Brewers' inability to compete with big-market teams for the top free agents, has led Milwaukee to trade names like Josh Hader, Corbin Burnes, and Devin Williams in recent seasons. The result has been the most successful run of Brewers baseball in franchise history.

Last night's deal, however, differed from the Hader, Burnes, and Williams ones in that the Brewers surrendered a secondary piece in order to maximize their return. As previously mentioned, Milwaukee included right-hander Tobias Myers in the deal, making it a clean two-for-two swap. Though Brewers fans were initially surprised to see Myers' name included in the trade, after no mention of Milwaukee being willing to move him had surfaced prior to last night, it appears as if the 27-year-old was the key piece that got the deal across the finish line.

On Wednesday morning, a report surfaced from independent MLB insider Michael Marino that the Brewers were interested in Sproat and Williams, but the Mets were unwilling to pay that price at the time.

Though Marino isn't affiliated with an accredited media outlet, his credibility is strengthened by the fact that he was spot on with the Mets' acquisition of Luis Robert and the fact that Luisangel Acuña was going to be included in the deal -- something Marino reported on much earlier in the offseason.

If Marino's report is to be believed -- it's hard to argue with after the Brewers did in fact end up trading Peralta for Williams and Sproat -- then Myers is seemingly the piece that made the deal happen. New York was seemingly unwilling to agree to the trade if Peralta was the only piece they were acquiring, but when Myers was added, their feelings changed.

Tobias Myers, a former minor league signing, was seemingly the key piece that got the Freddy Peralta blockbuster across the finish line

Let's rewind to how Myers became the intriguing trade asset that he is today. After being drafted in the 6th round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles, Myers became a highly regarded prospect, and as a result, was traded around the league during his time in the minor leagues. Just a year after he was drafted, Myers was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays, and after gaining some notoriety was dealt to the then-Cleveland Indians in exchange for Junior Caminero in 2021.

In 2022, however, Myers hit a wall. He was designated for assignment (DFAd) by the now-Guardians, subsequently traded to the San Francisco Giants, DFAd by the Giants, and claimed by the Chicago White Sox. Before the end of the 2022 season, the White Sox released Myers, and he became a minor league free agent before reaching the big leagues.

Cast off by the rest of MLB, the newly appointed head of the Brewers' front office, Arnold, took a chance on Myers and signed him to a minor league contract. Though his first season in Milwaukee's farm system didn't go according to plan, with a 5.03 ERA in Double-A to prove it, the Brewers stuck with him and invited him to big-league spring training once again in 2024. By April 17 of that year, Myers was up with the major league squad. After some shuffling back-and-forth between Triple-A and MLB in April and June, Myers remained in MLB permanently from June 5 until the end of the season.

Arnold and the Brewers' dedication to Myers, a player the rest of the league had given up on, paid off. He was excellent in 2024, pitching to a 3.00 ERA and posting a stellar start against, ironically, the Mets in the NL Wild Card Series. A shaky 2025 followed, during which injuries, inconsistency, and a crowded rotation picture forced Myers into the bullpen by the end of the season, but it was clear that potential still remained in the now-27-year-old's profile.

While underlying metrics suggest that the Brewers likely moved on from Myers at the right time, not to be overlooked is the fact that Arnold and company turned a former minor league free agent into the key piece in the Peralta blockbuster. These are the types of moves that make Milwaukee great. Yes, trading their big stars for top prospects is a necessary part of the formula, but without the under-the-radar signings and trades, the Brewers would not be the team they are today. It's poetic, therefore, that it required one of these under-the-radar signings to get the Peralta deal across the finish line and add two more top-tier prospects to the Brewers' organization.