We wrote last week that Peralta is the perfect trade candidate<\/a> for the Yankees, and that remains the case. With Bellinger returning, the Yankees can potentially sweeten a trade for Peralta by including a major-league-ready bat, along with the young, controllable pitching the Brewers seek<\/a>.<\/p>\n Jasson Dom\u00ednguez is now a man without a position for the foreseeable future. The organization does not view him as a center fielder, and that\u2019s the only spot in the Yankees\u2019 outfield that could have a vacancy at the end of the season, with Trent Grisham on a one-year contract. Giancarlo Stanton is under contract for two more seasons as the team\u2019s designated hitter, but he hasn\u2019t played close to a full season since his first in the Bronx eight years ago. So plenty of at-bats will likely be available if the Yankees choose to keep Dom\u00ednguez.<\/p>\n The Brewers don\u2019t particularly need a corner outfielder, but Jake Bauers, their current left fielder, will be a free agent after this season. Milwaukee\u2019s modus operandi is to add as many cost-controlled players as possible, and Dom\u00ednguez won\u2019t begin his first year of arbitration until 2028. He may not be the featured player needed to get a deal done with Milwaukee, but the former top prospect likely just became expendable with Bellinger\u2019s return \u2014 and the same can be said about Spencer Jones. It\u2019s hard to see both players being part of the Yankees\u2019 long-term plans now.<\/p>\n There may be some fans who gripe about the Yankees\u2019 insistence on running back the same offense as last season, but that outcome shouldn\u2019t be viewed as a bad thing. The Yankees finished the 2025 season with a league-best 119 wRC+, 6 percentage points higher than the Los Angeles Dodgers and Seattle Mariners.<\/p>\n Offense wasn\u2019t their issue; pitching was a much bigger problem.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why trying to land Peralta should be a priority. It would give the Yankees more cushion to allow Cam Schlittler to develop without outsized expectations. Schlittler\u2019s sensational start in the Wild Card Series against the Boston Red Sox will be remembered for years, but it\u2019s not a given he will become an ace. His underlying metrics from 2025 suggest he would be better-suited as a back-of-the-rotation starter to begin next season and not as a No. 2, which he might be right now given the injuries to the staff. Schlittler may continue ascending, but the Yankees should have insurance in case that doesn\u2019t happen right away.<\/p>\n \n Freddy Peralta posted a 154 ERA+ and 204 strikeouts in 176 2\/3 innings last season. (Patrick McDermott \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n Peralta would also help a Yankees rotation that needs more strikeouts. It ranked ninth in strikeout percentage last season. Only seven starters had a higher strikeout percentage last season than Peralta. His slider, curveball and changeup had a whiff percentage over 34 percent. The fastball is his most-used pitch, and there\u2019s room for him to rely on it less, to better highlight his special breaking and off-speed pitches.<\/p>\n The main drawback in trading for Peralta, who will make $8 million in 2026, is he will become a free agent at season\u2019s end. That hasn\u2019t stopped the Yankees from making trades for rentals the past two offseasons. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said at the Winter Meetings that his club operates in \u201cshort-term mode.\u201d That means if he believes someone like Peralta could help the club win a World Series, he would recommend such a trade to owner Hal Steinbrenner.<\/p>\n The Yankees have several arms the Brewers could be interested in, such as Luis Gil, Will Warren, Elmer Rodriguez and Carlos Lagrange. Their pitching depth is an organizational strength. They should use that to their advantage here.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2233742825-scaled.jpg\")
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