Is latest Freddy Peralta news ominous foreshadowing or nothing to worry about?

Depending on if you cut off your access to the internet following the Milwaukee Brewers' NLCS loss, you may or may not have heard that the team is weighing the possibility of trading ace Freddy Peralta this offseason.

This isn't a novel gambit—the Brewers have made a habit of doing this for years. Be it Corbin Burnes, Devin Williams, or even Yovani Gallardo, the best pitchers in Milwaukee simply tend to get traded as they near free agency.

However, the Brewers are fresh on the heels of winning a MLB-best 97 games, as well as their first NLCS appearance since 2018. Trading arguably their most valuable player (and inarguably their most valuable pitcher) before a legitimate attempt to make the World Series in 2026 is hardly good business.

So, where does this leave Brewers fans? It's hard to say since habits are hard to break, especially for small-market clubs. However, Peralta may have just clued people into his future by making a logistical change to his team. According to FanSided's Robert Murray, the right-hander has switched agents and is now represented by ACES Baseball agency.

Brewers chances of Freddy Peralta extension likely doomed with agent change

In truth, changing agents is never a huge deal, especially if Scott Boras isn't involved. Peralta was previously signed with Klutch Sports Group, which is owned and run by LeBron James' business partner, Rich Paul. They also represent current Brewers closer Abner Uribe.

The most logical takeaway here is that Peralta is determined to reach free agency and didn't feel Klutch Sports would be able to solely focus their efforts on securing him the best possible contract. If nothing else, this switch certainly decreases the likelihood of an extension with Milwaukee, seeing as any prior negotiations done with Klutch now have to be thrown out the window.

If you're really trying to see this through a glass-half-full lens, you could argue that Peralta wants to stay in Milwaukee, and Klutch Sports wasn't negotiating in good faith since they wanted the pitcher to seek the biggest possible contract in free agency. That's a hard leg to stand on, though, considering Peralta could have signed an extension at any point in the past if remaining with the Brewers was his top priority.

ACES represents a host of notable baseball players, from Rich Hill to Charlie Blackmon. Perhaps the most relevant case to Peralta is Logan Webb, the San Francisco Giants ace who signed a five-year, $90 million extension that bought out all of his arbitration years and the first three years of free agency.

That remains a wildly team-friendly deal, though don't expect Peralta to give the Brewers such a meaningful discount in negotiations. The most likely outcome remains that he gets traded over the winter, which, painful as it might be, could net the team an impressive haul.