The Milwaukee Brewers had the best record in Major League Baseball this year, winning a franchise-record 97 games during the regular season and clinching their third straight National League Central title.

However, they came up short in the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now, the biggest question facing them centers around the status of their ace, Freddy Peralta.

The expectation is that the Brewers will retain him for 2026, but the chances of a deal are never zero. Thomas Harrigan of MLB.com noted that the Brewers have traded Josh Hader, Corbin Burnes and Devin Williams, yet still remained in contention.

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Could Brewers Explore Trade Market For Peralta?

“With all of that in mind, not to mention the pitching depth the team has cultivated and the aptitude it has shown for developing starting pitchers, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Milwaukee explore the trade market for ace Freddy Peralta this winter,” Harrigan wrote.

The Brewers exercised Peralta’s $8 million club option after the World Series ended, so they at least have him under contract for one more year. They could bring back a massive haul for Peralta if they do decide to trade him.

However, unless Brandon Woodruff stays or they add another arm via free agency, they need to be careful about potentially trading Peralta. The difference between now and when they traded Burnes was that they still had Peralta and Woodruff in the rotation.

They still had Williams to close games when Hader left, and had Trevor Megill ready to replace Williams when he was traded. Trading Peralta means that they wouldn’t have an ace.

Peralta won 17 games, posted a 5.5 WAR and struck out 204 batters over 33 starts and 176 ⅔ innings pitched this season. That type of presence would be incredibly hard to replace, even if the Brewers bring back a haul for him.

Still, it’s not out of the question that they could at least be inclined to explore the market for him and see what teams are willing to offer them in return. But unless Woodruff stays or they take a chance on a top-level arm, it’s best to just keep their own ace while they can, and possibly look to extend him.

That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t listen to offers for him, but they also want to be careful about it.