The Atlanta Braves have at least begun filling two of their biggest offseason holes. Raisel Iglesias will likely return as the team’s closer after inking a one-year, $16 million contract, and Mauricio Dubon is at least capable of being the starting shortstop after Atlanta acquired him in a trade with the Astros.
Atlanta still needs to add multiple relievers, and they haven’t fully committed to Dubon as the everyday shortstop if something better materializes. But the primary focus has undoubtedly shifted toward the rotation. Alex Anthopoulos hasn’t been shy about the team’s desire to add another proven starter, and one of the best potentially available trade targets is Freddy Peralta.
The Brewers are fresh off an NLCS appearance but have made it clear they’ll at least entertain offers for Peralta, who’s entering the final year of his contract and coming off a career season in which he won 17 games, posted a 2.70 ERA, and finished fifth in the National League Cy Young race. If Milwaukee doesn’t like their chances of re-signing him, selling to the highest bidder has to be on the table.
Over at The Athletic, MLB insider Jim Bowden recently cooked up five trade hypotheticals for the All-Star pitcher, and the Braves were included — sending top pitching prospect JR Ritchie and 2025 second-round pick Alex Lodise to the Brewers.
“If the Braves offered right-hander JR Ritchie and shortstop Alex Lodise, I believe a deal could get done,” Bowden writes.
“Ritchie, 22, was the Braves’ 2022 first-round selection out of high school. He had Tommy John surgery midway through the 2023 season, returning in July 2024. He was outstanding in 2025 in his first fully healthy professional season, posting a 2.64 ERA over 26 starts spread between three minor-league levels, including 11 starts in Triple A. His mid-90s fastball and wipeout slider are both plus pitches. He still needs work on command and control, but he should develop into a solid mid-rotation starter in time.”
Ritchie is now a top-100 prospect in baseball after a season in which he was far and away the most impressive arm in the Braves’ farm system, posting a 2.64 ERA over 140 innings across three levels (A+ to AAA). He’s knocking on the door of the majors and is set to make his debut in 2026, whether it’s for the Braves or someone else. That’s a pretty hefty price to pay for a player under team control for just one more season, but Peralta isn’t going to come cheap after the year he just had.
“Lodise was the Braves’ second-round pick in July out of Florida State. He won the Dick Howser Award for FSU in 2025 after hitting .394/.462/.705 with 17 homers as a junior. With the Brewers wanting to stockpile shortstops who hit for power, he’s a perfect fit,” Bowden continued.
“To make this type of offer, the Braves would probably make the deal contingent on their ability to extend Peralta during a time-limited negotiating window.”
Bowden’s final comments are really the most important. If the Braves can get an indication that Peralta would be open to signing a long-term deal in Atlanta, they’d probably be much more willing to offer this type of package. However, given the way their young arms have come up and made immediate impacts in recent years, trading away Ritchie — along with their second-round pick from this year in Alex Lodise — would be a tough pill to swallow for a pitcher who could ultimately end up being a one-year rental.
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