The Milwaukee Brewers won a franchise-record 97 games and made it to the NLCS before being swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Instead of building off a superb year, they might take a step back in 2026 as they are reportedly open to trading an All-Star player due to ownership’s spending reluctance.
According to The Athletic’s Andy McCullough, “the Brewers are expected to at least field offers for starting pitcher Freddy Peralta,” who made his second All-Star team in 2025 while finishing 17-6 with a 2.70 ERA and 206 strikeouts in 176 2/3 innings.
Pattern of Trading Stars Before Free Agency
In recent years, the Brewers have traded away former Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes and All-Star closers Josh Hader and Devin Williams before they hit free agency. Peralta has an $8 million club option for next year and will be a free agent after the 2026 season.
“The team can afford to retain Peralta, but will feel compelled to at least explore the market for his services, especially given the relative weakness of this class of free-agent pitchers,” McCullough reports.
The reason Peralta might be on the move is that owner Mark Attanasio “is not expected to endorse significant spending,” according to McCullough. Milwaukee’s payroll ranked 17th in 2025 and has $121.8 million on the books for 2026.
Since Attanasio is unlikely to pay big money to retain Peralta following the 2026 season, several teams will be more than happy to acquire the All-Star pitcher. Franchises looking for starting pitching this offseason include the New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays.
