The job for Milwaukee Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold has not always been easy, and the difficulties of his position were on full display in January.
On January 21, Arnold pulled the trigger on a seismic trade that sent ace Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers to the New York Mets in exchange for top prospects Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat. Recently, Arnold sat down with Foul Territory TV to talk about his relationship with Peralta.
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“Freddy and I had a great relationship,” Arnold said. “I’ve known him since he was 19, 18 years old when we first got him, and we always tried to keep the line of communications open with him and his agent, Seth Levinson. So, we have really good relationships with those guys.”
The Brewers traded for Peralta on Dec. 9, 2015, when he was still just a 19-year-old prospect. From that point, he continued to ascend through the organization into the pitcher he is today.
Last season, Peralta put up a career-best record (17-6) and ERA (2.70) through 33 starts and 176 2/3 innings of work. In the early days of November, the Brewers chose to pick up his $8 million club option, but he remained the center of trade rumors.
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During the process, Arnold remained honest and transparent with Peralta and his camp.
“[I] tried to be very open and honest,” Arnold said. “And it was a two-way street, just making sure we’re on the same page on what’s going on, what’s happening and trying to make sure that we kept them in the loop.
“I think the worst thing to do is surprise people on these types of things and just having those conversations, being open and honest with your guys,” Arnold said. “Having that kind of culture here [is] something that really, really matters to me, certainly. And I love Freddy to death.”
Peralta will be a free agent after the 2026 season and, given his production, will command more on the open market than Milwaukee would be able to afford. However, since the Mets have the second-highest tax payroll (per Spotrac), they will be well-positioned to offer Peralta a lucrative deal.
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Arnold recently checked in with Mets president of baseball operations, David Stearns — whom Arnold worked under for several years in Milwaukee — to see how Peralta was doing.
“I was talking to David Stearns yesterday about him, and it sounds like he’s doing great over there,” Arnold said. “And I’m a huge Freddy Peralta fan. I hope he has a great season — a great career. Nothing but the best, wish nothing but the best for Freddy.”
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