POTENTIAL TRADE: Giants could MOVE STARTER AND TOP PROSPECT for Freddy Peralta | Sam Hentges Profile

POTENTIAL TRADE: Giants could MOVE STARTER AND TOP PROSPECT for Freddy Peralta | Sam Hentges Profile

Do the Giants plan on moving one of their top prospects for star pitcher Freddy Peralta? Let’s discuss right here and break it on down on Locked on Giants. You are Locked on Giants, your daily San Francisco Giants podcast, part of the Locked On Network, your team every day. What’s up y’all? I’m Alan Styles. Welcome to Locked On Giants, part of the Locked On Network. Now, because of you, the number one sports podcast network. On the show, we provide daily episodes Monday through Friday, talking about the San Francisco Giants in a way that combines passion, analytics with the eye test, and a little bit of fun. I’m from the Bay Area, but I live in Sacramento now, and I host a show at Sacktown Sports 1140, the Allen Style Show, as well as MCing Sacramento Rivercats games. All in all, I’m lucky enough to cover a team I’ve been a fan of all my life. Today, we are discussing whether or not the Brewers will move Freddy Peralta. Should the Giants move one of their top prospects to get Freddy Peralta? And we also discuss a signing that the Giants already made in relief pitcher Sam Henches. Today’s show is brought to you by Game Time. Download the Game Time app, create an account, and use code locked on MLB for $20 off your first purchase. So, the noise keeps getting louder and louder when it comes to the Brewers and the possibility of them moving star pitcher Freddy Peralta. Obviously, this dude has been an absolute stud. And the Brewers have a decision to make because he will be a free agent at the end of the year. They could lose him in free agency or they could move him now. They could move him at the trade deadline and go from there. By the way, hope everybody had a a happy Thanksgiving and enjoyed time with their family. I’m still stuffed. I already had my first round of leftovers and I’m definitely going to have some more once this show is done. So, enjoy the the rest of your weekend. And if you don’t have the time off right now, I hope that you will get some time in the very near future to enjoy friends, family, and all that jazz. Okay, let’s get into Freddy Peralta’s stats real quick. He had a 5.5 war, 17 and six this past season, a 27 erra. He threw 176.2 innings, and he had 204 strikeouts. So he’s been a complete stud over his career. 70 wins, 40 lo or excuse me, 42 losses, a 359 RA, 211 games, 162 games started, and he has one save on his career, 931 innings pitched and 1,153 strikeouts. So, uh, the conversation that we had, uh, when was that? on Wednesday, it was the article about the 16 MLB executives, right? So, another piece of that to round it on out was who is the top trade candidate of the winner not named Tar Scubble. The survey said Joe Ryan with two votes, Freddy Peralta with two, Catel Marte with two, and then a couple guys, Steven Quan with one, and others. So Freddy Peralta had more votes than some of the other names thrown out there. And of course, like I said, they did not include Tar Scuboo. So this comes out from Jordan Bastion and Adam Macau from MLB.com. And it says, “Arnold, who is the head of baseball operations for the Brewers? Arnold sounds ready to deal. Could Peralta be on the move?” This is from Vegas. During a break at the GM meetings on Tuesday, Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold sounded much more like a baseball man ready to make a deal. Quote, “We try to evaluate ourselves as hard as anybody.” Arnold said, “Like we want to make sure we are turning over every rock we possibly can to do better, and sometimes that requires making really tough decisions.” We’ve had to do that in the past, and we’re prepared to do the same thing this year. here. Arnold’s most valuable chip is right-hander Freddy Peralta. The 29-year-old coming off a season in which he led the National League with 17 victories while making 33 starts to 27 erra and striking out 200 or more for the third straight season. A couple weeks ago, in the immediate wake of the Brewers season ending loss to the Dodgers in the NL Championship Series, Arnold said he hadn’t yet thought about trading Peralta. Now that tone has shifted with the offseason underway and Peralta going into his final year of the contract extension he signed in 2020 when he was 23 and just starting his big league career. The Brewers do not have to trade Peralta this off seasonason. They could keep him and count on him to lead a young rotation then consider whether to deal him at the trade deadline or hold him to the end of his contract. Milwaukee took the latter strategy with shortstop Willie Thomas and it wound up with the 32 overall pick in the 2025 draft as compensation when he departed for the Giants. And then they go on to break down some of the history that they traded Devin Williams in 2021. They traded Corbin Burns. They they do this, right? This is typically what they do. So, could this be a similar situation? And could they continue to do the same thing? This is what we keep hearing when it comes to the Brewers. If you’re trading somebody that doesn’t have control, well, what do you want back? You want somebody with control, right? Or multiple players that have that control. Now, you might be taking a chance on somebody that does not have as much experience or have that much hasn’t proven as much at the big league level, but that’s the that’s the chance that you take in a in a move like this. As we’ve heard for certain other teams, hey, well, we want an MLB ready bat. We want certain things. The Brewers would be looking to keep that rotation in a decent spot, but also have that team control. So, they would want a young pitcher, somebody that they think could maybe not be Freddy Peralta, but could keep them moving in the same trajectory. And of course, everybody’s always going to want a prospect. So, on the other side, we will break down a possible trade that the Athletic throws out for the Giants. There’s five teams that they include in this exercise. The Giants, they are one of them. And I’ll tell you what, it’s a toughy. It’s a toughy because as we do our player profiles and things like that, you start to to see the best version of these guys and maybe they get there, maybe they don’t. So on the other side, are you in, are you out on a possible deal for Freddy Peralta based on what the Athletic says the Giants would have to give up? Don’t move. More locked on Giants coming up. The NFL season is here and honestly, there’s nothing better than being in the stadium surrounded by fans, cheering on your team, all of that good stuff. But let’s be honest, getting tickets can be a hassle between cues, login screens, and prices, jumping out, checkout. It’s frustrating. That’s why I use Game Time, the app that gives the advantage back to fans. 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They actually pioneered the original performance denim, blending technical innovation with everyday clothing that looks sharp and feels incredible. Simply put, Der makes the world’s most comfortable pants without sacrificing style. Once you try them, they’ll be your go-to pair. Trust me. And if you’re in San Francisco, check out doer store at 567 Hay Street. Pick up a pair for yourself or grab one as an amazing holiday gift. Mention my promo code locked on SF in store to get 15% off your first order. Or shop online at shopd.com/lockedonsf for that same 15% off. That’s shopd.com/locktonsf. Your new favorite jeans are waiting. All right. So, what does a potential Freddy Peralta trade look like? I’ll tell you what, some of you aren’t going to like it. You’re not going to like it. But this is what someone once told me in trades, right? It should be a situation where you don’t like something. Both sides should like something about it. Both sides should not like something about it. If everybody likes the trade, right? or if all Giants fans like the trade, it’s probably not a good trade for the Brewers and vice versa. So, it should sting a little bit. And let me tell you what, this one is going to sting. This is from Jim Bowen of the Athletic. He has five teams that could potentially trade for Freddy Peralta and what those trades could maybe look like. All right, so he gets to the Giants and this is what he has to say. proposed trade return Landon RP and Johnny Levelvel. The Giants can offer a rotation ready arm and a middle of the diamond prospect who could help the Brewers in a few years. RP, 27, had his breakout season at the major league level in 2025 before suffering a left knee sprain in late August that didn’t require surgery but ended his season. Before that, he made 22 starts posting a 3.8 8 RA with 102 strikeouts in 106 and two/3 innings. Batters struggled against his secondary pitches, highlighted by the fact that they hit just 197 against his curveball and 192 against his change up. He profiles as a mid- rotation type starter, but is controllable through 2030. Level signed with the Giants out of Venezuela in January 2024. He starred in the Dominican summer league that season and hit 288, 375, 493 in the Arizona Complex League this past season before finishing in low A. He has an above average hit tool and has power. He’s a good athlete who can run. level is one of the Giants top prospects, but they have two other shorts stops in their group, Josuar Gonzalez and Gavin Keelin, allowing them to take this risk for the opportunity to pair Peralta with Logan Webb at the top of the rotation for at least a season. For at least a season. So, I’m just going to tell y’all right now, this one is a tough one for me just because you’re giving up two things, right? And two things that the Giants kind of need. I know they have Willie Adamis and they’re going to have him for a very long time, but the issue to me isn’t as much as Johnny Levelvel as it is Landon RP. I mean Landon RP so you’re going to lose. He’s 27 years old. They just said controllable through 2030. I don’t know that he is the next ace of the Giants at any point in time, but you’re you need starting pitching. So, you’re going to lose some of your starting pitching to get back a really good pitcher, but now you have to fill that gap. So, to me, if you’re looking at the other ways and other directions that the Giants can go, I don’t want Freddy Peralta. And because you have Freddy Peralta now, you’d be obviously saving money because he’s going to get his next big paycheck at the end of this season, but you’re moving Landon RP. So, you’re adding Freddy Peralta. Now, you need another starter. And I don’t want to do the Max Scherzers or Justin Verlander. I guess that’s the question. So Freddy Peralta essentially replaces Landon RP. And now you have to fill you still have to fill in that starting role that you’ve been missing throughout the offseason that you were missing last season. So Justin Verlander comes back and then you flip Landon RP for Freddy Peralta. I don’t think so because I think Freddy Peralta is outstanding and Freddy Peralta is obviously better than Landon RP, but you then still have an issue with that last starting spot in the rotation. The the better idea in my opinion is you go get somebody. It doesn’t have to be for Amber Valdez, but you go get somebody and then you bump Landon RP down the rotation and you do it that way. I would not want to do this deal. And and then Johnny Levelville, I I get it. You got other guys, but the whole idea is you want to throw stuff at the board. If I’m doing a deal, and I mean, bites at the apple, right? Because it’s a it’s it’s a gamble. The whole thing, the draft, the lottery, it’s all a gamble. You don’t It is a lottery. You don’t know who’s going to hit, who’s not going to hit. So, you’re going to remove somebody who is he was ranked number three on Roto Prospects fastest risers back in August. He’s number four, the number four ranked prospect in the Giant system. I can’t give you that and one of the starters and then still have a hole in the rotation. Even though I got a better pitcher than Landon RP, the bigger problem is that you need another starter. So, I can’t do that. Johnny Level, just a refresher, we had him as a a player profile probably a couple months ago. level drew comparisons to fellow compact shorts stops Raphael Furcal and Brian Rochio as an amateur in Venezuela before signing with the Giants. He is much stronger than his listed 510 154 pounds. Level has quick fluid swing with some loft from both sides of the plate. He has an advanced feel for the barrel and for the zone forcing pitchers to throw him strikes. He’s a quick twitch athlete with plus speed that uses it well on the bases. He has the actions and arm strength to remain at shortstop or they could see him moving to second or third base. Center field is another possible option and his bat should play anywhere. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I’m not doing it. And if I’m doing it, I’m definitely not giving you another starting pitcher. If we’re doing this, I’d rather give up I’d rather give up two of the guys that we maybe saw a little bit of, right? Trevor McDonald, who did look good, but I’d rather give you Carson Wizen Hunt and Trevor McDonald. And I would I would go Carson Wizen Hunt, Trevor McDonald, and And then I would think about Johnny Level, right? And maybe that’s just me not being that high on those other pitchers versus Landon RP who we know that can pitch at the major league level. So, you would keep him. Obviously, you still lose Johnny, but then you get to add Peralta to the rotation and you don’t lose one of your starters, right? I don’t know. Some some of you might say, Allan, I think Carson Wizhun or or Trevor McDonald, I think one of these guys could work out better. Okay, I I don’t that’s just an opinion that we can go back and forth on, but yeah, I can’t give you somebody from my rotation to get back somebody to add to the rotation. Sure. But now it’s like plugging a hole, right? It’s like plugging a hole just to start a new hole or or you plug a different hole, I guess, because Landon Rup isn’t the problem. You don’t you don’t need you need more pitchers. You don’t need better versions of your starters. I guess you technically need both, but yeah, I can’t do it. I can’t do it. If it’s I would I would give up two of the kind of low-level pitching prospects. That could be something, right? Hayden. I’ I’d even give up Aiden Bird song. Now, I don’t know what his value is, but I’d give up two of those types of guys before I give up before I give up Landon RP. I can’t do it. I can’t do it. And Johnny Levelvel, I would like to hold on to him. But if it was a deal like that, then I would understand more. But I can’t give you a top five prospect and a starter from my rotation that’s controllable until 2030 and who’s 27 years old when we know what type of premium starting pitching has. I can’t do that. No way. So Jim Bowen, that’s what he had cooked up for the Giants. No, I’m sorry. I can’t do it. I can’t do it. I could do different versions of it. It’s not Johnny. It’s it’s Landon Root. That’s the hold up for me. That’s that’s what I can’t do. So, good stuff from Jim Bowen. I think there’s probably an argument as to why you would do it. You would be saving that money. So, then you you could still go get I mean, I guess the argument is you could still go get Imi or somebody like that and you would have a ridiculous rotation for at least a year. And that’s the other part of it. You’re giving up Landon Rub who’s controllable till 2030 and you’re giving up one of your top prospects who’s still a teenager for somebody that you could lose in free agency. Johnny Levelville is 18 years old. He’s not supposed to be in the bigs until 2029, but you’re giving all that up for a longer version of a rental. Maybe you resign him, but we don’t know. So, sorry, Jim. Can’t do it. Can’t do it. That’s a good one, though. And I think different versions of it could work, but that specific combination, I am a no. It’s a no for me, dog. It is a no for me. It was a yes for the Giants signing relief pitcher Sam Henches. Some of you might be happy about this, some of you won’t. And I’ll explain why on the other side. More locked on Giants coming up. 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Here we go. Stop me if you’ve heard this before. It’s a buy low wildcard move for the Giants. Henches was a solid bullpen piece for the Guardians a few years ago, but he hasn’t been healthy for a while. Over the 2022 and 2023 campaigns, Hedges tossed 114 and a third innings for Cleveland, allowing 2.91 earned runs per nine. His 7.9% walk rate was just barely better than the average, while his 27.4% strikeout rate and 60.1% ground ball rate were both very strong. He gradually moved up to high leverage work, earning 23 holds over that span. And in 2024, he kept things going for a while, posting a three erra, a 3.04 erra over another 23 and 2/3 innings. However, he hit the injury list in July due to some inflammation in his throwing shoulder. He required surgery in September, a procedure which came with a recovery timeline of 12 to 14 months. Though he was likely going to miss most or all of 2025, the guard still kept him around. He was still under club control through 2027, so there was still a potential long-term payoff. He had qualified for arbitration ahead of the 2024 season as a Super 2 player and made 1.1 million in his first four arbitration seasons. The guards gave him a slight bump to 1.3. Even if he couldn’t manage a late season return to health, he would still have two further seasons of control. In 2025, here’s the fun part. In 2025, not only did he not make it back to the majors, but he didn’t even begin a rehab assignment. In September, he underwent arthoroscopic surgery on his right knee. That procedure comes with a recovery timeline of 3 to four months. That means he should be healthy by the spring, but the guards decided to move on. They non-tendered Henches last week, sending him to free agency. The Giants have swooped in and will sign Hench is giving him a slight raise over last year even though he missed the whole season. Mhm. There we go. There we go. I know a lot of you out there are not happy to hear this, but it’s it’s a raise for him. And of course, this is all relatively speaking with we’re talking about athletes and money, but it’s a lowrisk move for the Giants. Going to see if he can stay healthy. I guess again that theme when we joke about types and the Bachelor and Love Island and all these dating shows, the Giants found a guy a a low uh a low I don’t want to say low ceiling, but it’s not going to cost a lowcost guy that has a high ground ball rate. That is what they keep telling us. We like dudes that throw ground balls. If you can throw ground balls, then we might have a spot for you. That’s what they continue to tell us. So, this is what he did over his career. 1.4 war, seven wins, eight losses, a 418 erra, and 168 games, 12 games started, one save, 26 and 2/3 innings pitched, 223 strikeouts, a 1.335 whip. his projection. Obviously, it’s a bit confusing, but because he did not pitch last season, but a projection just on on baseball reference, 27 innings, right? Uh giving up three home runs, nine walks. They just have no clue. Okay? They have no clue because he did not play in 2025. Again, if you’re the Giants, we know what we like. We’re going to bring in a bunch of guys. Again, the same with the Joey Weamers. We know we like defense. We’re gonna find somebody that we think can play a a high level of defense. That’s what we’re going to do. We know we like guys that throw ground balls. So, we’re going to bring in guys that we know when healthy can throw ground balls. That’s it. Logan Webb throws ground balls. That’s what we like and that’s what we’re going to continue to add. I don’t think anybody should be annoyed or upset feeling like they’re not going to make a move because of this. The Giants are just spreading the board, right? Spreading the board with a lot of different moves and a lot of different opportunities to see if something catches and see if they find lightning in a bottle as we await what is going to be, I think, a a fun off season from a transaction standpoint. I do think this stuff is going to start coming down. You’re starting to see Dylan Cease, by the way. Dylan CE, I think he got signed right after our show ended on Wednesday. So Dylan CE is off the board. He got seven years and the Blue Jays are saying we don’t want this to be a fluke. We want to go back and we’re going to keep this thing going. So the the moves are starting to trickle in. I would not be upset. I would not be annoyed. Even though I understand why some of you may be because you start looking and you see different people say, “Oh, uh, the Giants made a move.” And then you see what the move is. This is a little bit more context from our guy, uh, our guy Jeff Young, who always is good as as anybody as breaking down these situations. Sam Henches has pitched to a 418 RA across four seasons with the Guardians. includes a 293 erra and 138 appearances since 2022. Henches has been bothered by shoulder injuries over the past couple seasons. The Giants 40man roster is now full. Henches gives the Giants another left-handed reliever. He has posted an excellent 53.4 ground ball rate in his career. A little bit of funk to his delivery. He throws two different fast balls and has a big 12 to six curveball. Could be a nice value. Oh, there’s that word again. could be a nice value for the Giants. All right, and I already can feel somebody commenting right now. Allan, they’re in the bargain bin again. Hey, I hear you. And Jeff goes on to say, throughout his career, Henches has been more effective against left-handed hitters. Much of the damage against right-handed hitters came in his first year when he was still used as a starter. I think that’s something to keep in mind. Since 2022, he has been similarly effective in those matchups. So, he came up, he was doing some starting. Obviously, he’s had some injury issues, so not viewed as a starter anymore, but you never know what could happen. You got to get him on the mound and and see what he can do for you. The Giants are just going to add some of these found money situations, if you will, and see if any of them work out for them. We’ll just have to wait and see. Thank you for listening to Locked On Giants. Thank you for watching Locked On Giants. Sure to follow me on social media at the_styles files styles with an I and also the official locked on Giants account. Have a great weekend. If you’re listening to this on the weekend, I hope you’re enjoying your weekend as well. It’s a it’s a longer one for some of us. So, be sure to enjoy it and enjoy every second, every minute of it because it goes fast and then we’re back to the regular week. And we will be back, speaking of on Monday. So, don’t you worry about it because there’s more to talk to and maybe there’ll be a move to discuss. Until then, have a good one. Peace.

Could Freddy Peralta be the sneaky trade target for the Giants? Today we break down why Peralta was named by MLB executives as one of the top trade candidates of the entire winter — tied with Joe Ryan and Ketel Marte — and why his combination of swing-and-miss stuff, team-friendly contract, and playoff experience makes him a perfect fit for what San Francisco claims it wants to build. We look at what a Giants–Brewers trade package might realistically look like, including how a fast-rising Giants prospect (ranked No. 3 on Rotoprospects’ fast risers and No. 4 in the Giants system) could factor into the conversation. We also touch on the newest bullpen addition, lefty reliever Sam Hentges, and what his pitch mix and recent numbers suggest about his role under the Giants’ revamped pitching infrastructure. Big episode today: front-office intel, trade theory, prospect impact, bullpen updates, and what it all means for the Giants’ offseason plan.

0:00 Should Giants trade for Peralta?
9:40 What would it cost?
19:31 Sam Hentges Profile

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