If the Tigers aren’t willing to trade Tarik Skubal this offseason, the Mets‘ best bet when looking to add an impact starting pitcher via trade this offseason could be calling the Brewers about right-hander Freddy Peralta.
And after waffling on the possibility of dealing Peralta, Milwaukee is considering “cracking the door open for trade discussions,” reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, who notes that interest in Peralta is “significant.”
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Peralta, 29, is set to make just $8 million this season in what is his final year before free agency.
The cost-conscious Brewers have made a habit of trading their most valuable players in the final year or two of their deal.
They traded pending free agent Corbin Burnes during the 2023-24 offseason and pending free agent Devin Williams last offseason. At the 2022 trade deadline, the Brewers dealt Josh Hader to the Padres when he still had a year and change of team control remaining.
So Peralta getting moved this offseason would keep with the above philosophy.
For the Mets, Peralta would be a perfect fit atop a rotation that is expected to include Nolan McLean, Clay Holmes, Sean Manaea, and David Peterson.
Oct 4, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta (51) pitches against the Chicago Cubs during the second inning of game one of the NLDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at American Family Field. / Michael McLoone – Imagn Images
It’s unclear what the Brewers would want in exchange for Peralta, but it’s fair to believe they would want at least one of New York’s highly thought of young starters — Brandon Sproat or Jonah Tong — as part of a deal.
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Peralta is coming off a phenomenal 2025 season, where he had a career-best 2.70 ERA in 176.2 innings. He posted a 1.07 WHIP, allowed just 124 hits, and struck out 204 batters — a rate of 10.4 per nine.
Since transitioning in 2021 from mainly a relief option to the starting rotation, Peralta has been one of the best pitchers in baseball. In 139 starts over the last five years, Peralta has a 3.30 ERA and 1.09 WHIP and has fanned 895 batters in 738.1 innings while allowing just 536 hits. He has also been reliable when it comes to taking the ball, tossing 165.2 innings or more reach of the last three seasons.
His ability to miss bats and limit hits is elite, as is his stuff.
Peralta relies mainly on a four-seam fastball (which he threw 53 percent of the time this past season), a changeup, and a curve. He’ll also mix in a slider.
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In 2025, his pitching run value graded out in the 97th percentile, via Baseball Savant. And all of his individual pitches were tremendous — the fastball was in the 84th percentile, the breaking balls were in the 88th percentile, and the changeup was in the 96th percentile. Looking at Peralta’s advanced metrics, he was near the top of the league in xERA, xBA, average exit velocity, whiff percentage, strikeout percentage, hard hit percentage, and extension.
If the Mets don’t land Peralta, other possibilities on the trade market include Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez of the Twins, Sandy Alcantara and Edward Cabrera of the Marlins, and MacKenzie Gore of the Nationals.
