The Boston Red Sox may be hot on the trade trail, yet again.
To speak the truth for a moment, the team has conditioned the city to expect a deep well of “interest,” while the real acquisitions quickly dry up. But in the 2024 off-season, ownership and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow at least showed a willingness to make aggressive moves for a couple of critical pieces to the roster. The signing of Alex Bregman and the trade acquisition of ace Garrett Crochet were legitimately impactful (and expensive) additions, but they should only be the start of a real opportunity for the Red Sox to assemble a true World Series contender.
Arguably the biggest area of immediate improvement, and the key piece to becoming a real threat in the American League, is right behind Crochet in the starting rotation. So it’s not surprising that we’re already hearing trade rumors involving the Red Sox and another premium starting pitcher, in this case the Milwaukee Brewers’ Freddy Peralta. MLB insider Jon Morosi went out of his way to detail the Red Sox as a suitor for Peralta, while also earmarking the righty as the next piece out the door in Milwaukee, where multiple high-end pitchers have been flipped in recent trades instead of signed long-term.
“When you think about Garrett Crochet, and you consider what they’ve been able to build there with the Red Sox getting back to the playoffs in 2025, they’re, I think, one starting pitcher away from making a real run at this,” Morosi said, during an MLB Network interview at the GM Meetings in Las Vegas. “And we know they’ve got an excellent farm system. They even have some position players they can move from the major league club, if they had to, with [Jarren] Duran and [Wilyer] Abreu. So, I think that’s an interesting fit to watch going forward, potentially, Brewers and Red Sox, with the Red Sox having interest in one significant starting pitcher.”
Before identifying the Red Sox as a realistic trade partner for the Brewers, Morosi noted that the latter have already traded talented pitchers like starter Corbin Burnes and reliever Devin Williams. The Yankees acquired Williams last December in exchange for starter Nestor Cortes, infielder Caleb Durbin, and cash considerations. This Boston-Mulwaukee connection almost makes too much sense, as the Red Sox have the capital to get a player like Peralta and the Brewers’ history suggests they will end up sending Peralta somewhere. Additionally, the Red Sox could then hammer out a long-term deal with Peralta on their terms, like they did with Crochet.
Peralta, 29, is coming off his third straight season with at least 165 innings and 200 strikeouts, and has a 3.30 ERA and 3.65 FIP in five years since becoming a full-time starter. He led the National League with 17 wins in 2025, while posting a career-best 2.70 ERA, which was seventh-best in baseball.
Peralta would be the best starting pitcher on a lot of teams. On the Red Sox, he’d still be second behind Crochet, but arguably the best No. 2 starter in the game.
The Red Sox will also have work to do with their offensive lineup, especially if Bregman ends up signing elsewhere after opting out of his contract. Interestingly enough, Morosi appeared to mention Boston as a potential destination for slugger Kyle Schwarber to return as a free agent. But they do have a full season of Roman Anthony coming, and if they can add a bona fide No. 2 guy in the starting rotation, they should be able to hang with any other club in the league.
Matt, a North Andover, Massachusetts native, has been with The Sports Hub since 2010. Growing up the son of Boston University All-American and Melrose High School hall-of-fame hockey player Steve Dolloff, sports was always a part of his life. After attending Northeastern University, Matt focused his love of sports on writing, extensively writing about all four major Boston teams. He also is a co-host of the Sports Hub Underground podcast and is a regular on-air contributor on the Sports Hub. Matt writes about all New England sports from Patriots football to Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins.