The Milwaukee Brewers continue to field trade offers for ace Freddy Peralta as he approaches his final season under contract. Among the teams involved in those negotiations, per MLB insider Héctor Gómez, are the Los Angeles Dodgers, who continue to "[push] strongly" for the two-time All-Star.
Peralta finished fifth in NL Cy Young voting last season while leading the charge for the No. 1 seed. He posted a 2.70 ERA and 1.08 WHIP across 33 starts, with 204 strikeouts in 176.2 innings. The Dodgers don't even need Peralta. It's biblical greed at this point. These teams can work to prevent such an apocalypse.
6. Philadelphia Phillies
Potential trade bait: 2B Bryson Stott, 3B Alec Bohm, 3B/OF Otto Kemp, RHP Gage Wood (No. 4 prospect), RHP Moisés Chace (No. 8 prospect), OF Gabriel Rincones Jr. (No. 9 prospect)
The Philadelphia Phillies' farm system just is not strong enough to place them in the frontrunner category. Their top three prospects — righty Andrew Painter, shortstop Aidan Miller and outfielder Justin Crawford — could all debut in the Majors next season, and all three would give the Phillies a potential leg up in negotiations. Unfortunately, Philadelphia just cannot afford the risk of an expiring contract.
That said, the Phillies ought to have extra motivation after whiffing on Bo Bichette and watching Ranger Suárez ink a five-year, $130 million contract in Boston. The Phillies need to fill out their rotation, especially with Zack Wheeler on the IL to start the campaign. Looking ahead, a four-man gauntlet of Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez, Freddy Peralta and Jesús Luzardo in the postseason is lights-out, shut-em-out stuff. That might be how you combat the supercharged Dodgers in this economy.
Philadelphia has a lot of money coming off the books next winter and an ownership group that is willing to spend. That gives them a real shot at extending Peralta when the time comes. Luzardo is also a free agent next winter, and it could be challenging for Philadelphia to re-sign both while also targeting the necessary lineup upgrades. But that's a bridge worth crossing when it gets here. For now, Peralta would meaningfully improve the Phillies' World Series odds in a National League that is much scarier today than it was a week ago.
It will probably require cobbling together Bryson Stott or Alec Bohm, a few prospects on various timelines, and maybe a short prayer, but the Phillies can at least place their best bid and see where the cards fall.
5. San Francisco Giants
Potential trade bait: RHP Landen Roupp, LHP Carson Whisenhunt (No. 7 prospect), RHP Blake Tidwell (No. 12 prospect), OF Luis Matos, 2B Casey Schmitt
The San Francisco Giants have an ace up their sleeve with No. 1 prospect Bryce Eldridge, who'd fill a gap at first base for the Brewers long term. He's one of the most promising young hitters in the sport and he would finally give Milwaukee a real power source in the middle of the lineup. But even with limited defensive reps available to him, Eldridge is probably too valuable for San Francisco to give up here — especially since re-signing Peralta is far from guaranteed.
That said, the Giants are another wannabe NL contender with ample motivation, especially when it comes to stopping the Dodgers' persistent accumulation of premium talent. San Francisco has invested a lot in its positional depth chart and the rotation features two rock-solid headliners in Logan Webb and Robbie Ray. Throw Peralta in the mix, and the Giants really start to feel like a complete, postseason-caliber team.
Landen Roupp posted a 3.80 ERA across 22 starts as a rookie and should step right into a weekly role for Milwaukee, should such a trade go through. Carson Whisenhunt struggled with his first taste of MLB action, but his changeup remains one of the most exciting individual pitches in the Minor Leagues. Casey Schmitt and Luis Matos can plug holes on Milwaukee's MLB roster: Schmitt as a utilityman with pop and Matos as a right fielder with a powerful arm and a low strikeout rate.
The Giants, like the Phillies, would need to rely on quantity over quality in negotiations, but there's a path if Buster Posey and the front office are motivated enough.
4. Atlanta Braves
Potential trade bait: RHP Hurston Waldrep, RHP J.R. Ritchie (No. 2 prospect), RHP Didier Fuentes (No. 7 prospect), RHP Lucas Braun (No. 12 prospect), SS Nacho Alvarez Jr.
The Atlanta Braves are another NL wannabe with a thin farm system but ample motivation. The NL East is shaping up to be awfully competitive. We can safely write off Miami and Washington, but the Phillies are a perennial contender and the Mets just added Bo Bichette as protection behind Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor. So the arms race is on.
Atlanta has a lot of talent in the mix pitchng-wise, but Spencer Strider, Chris Sale and Reynaldo López are all notoriously prone to injury at this point. AJ Smith-Shawver is recovering from Tommy John surgery. There comes a point where the Braves need to overindex quality arms just to be sure they can get through an entire 162-game season.
Given how Alex Anthopoulos and the Braves front office operate, the odds of re-signing Peralta as a free agent are slim. Not impossible, but certainly not favorable. That said, Atlanta is game a smart rental, and Peralta just finished fifth in Cy Young voting. He's honestly underrated — and the Braves, like any other team with high competitive aspirations, ought to recognize just how catastrophic a Peralta trade to the Dodgers would be.
Despite their thinner pipeline, Atlanta has two MLB-ready young arms in J.R. Ritchie and Didier Fuentes. The former is inching closer to his debut; the latter made his in 2025, at just 20 years old. Fuentes struggled rather predictably, but he's on an accelerated timeline. The Braves can even float Sean Murphy, or perhaps more realistically, incorporate the former All-Star catcher into a three-team trade to recoup more assets for Milwaukee, as the Brewers don't need a backstop right now.
3. Baltimore Orioles
Potential trade bait: 1B/3B Coby Mayo, OF Colton Cowser, OF Jeremiah Jackson, OF Heston Kjerstad, C Ike Irish (No. 3 prospect), RHP Trey Gibson (No. 9 prospect), RHP Nestor German (No. 11 prospect)
The Baltimore Orioles still possess a dire need for starting pitching. The Shane Baz trade was a helpful step in the right direction and a worthwhile bet on upside, but this rotation is so far behind other American League contenders. The O's have built one of the scariest lineups in MLB, but if the pitching staff can't hold its own, 2026 will quickly devolve into another long, miserable season.
Baltimore probably wouldn't re-sign Peralta, but the O's made a similar deal with Milwaukee for Corbin Burnes' expiring contract and it paid dividends with a dominant regular season. Burnes even almost re-signed, so it's not like Baltimore is incapable of putting a competitive offer on the table. Signing Pete Alonso was an indicator that the O's are ready to get serious.
Peralta immediately becomes the headliner for a team with enough overall talent to win the division, if everything breaks right. One potential hurdle, however, is that Baltimore lacks the pitching depth to offer the Brewers a short- or long-term Peralta replacement. If Milwaukee is more focused on beefing up its positional depth chart, however, the O's can more than oblige.
Coby Mayo and Heston Kjerstad are both ready for everyday MLB roles, yet neither has the space to break through in Baltimore right now. And both would benefit immensely from Milwaukee's developmental staff. Colton Cowser and Jeremiah Jackson could both start for a team in the outfield next season (Cowser already is in Baltimore). If the Brewers are willing to entertain a younger prospect, 22-year-old catcher Ike Irish is a major talent. His long-term path in Baltimore is a bit complicated, however, with Samuel Basallo already waiting to take over catching duties from Adley Rutschman.
2. New York Yankees
Potential trade bait: RHP Will Warren, RHP Luis Gil, OF Spencer Jones, OF Jasson Domínguez, RHP Elmer Rodriguez (No. 3 prospect), RHP Ben Hess (No. 6 prospect).
The New York Yankees addressed their rotation needs with the Ryan Weathers trade, and his untapped potential has been thoroughly inspected under the microscope in the days since. But frankly, the Yankees could still use a more established ace to anchor their rotation, especially with Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón both slated to miss extended time in 2026.
This is also a chance for Milwaukee to send Peralta to the American League, rather than a direct competitor in the National League (please, please, please tell my why Milwaukee would send him to the Dodgers, please). New York has the financial wherewithal to compete seriously in the free agent market next winter, with a top four of Cole (when healthy), Max Fried, Freddy Peralta and Cam Schlittler. That might end up as the best four-man gauntlet in the AL.
New York has offensive firepower. This we know. Even if Cody Bellinger leaves, the Yanks are bound to hit the baseball well enough to compete for a playoff spot. But pitching is a potential weak point, especially given the uncertainty injury-wise. Peralta puts any such concern to bed. The Yankees aren't equipped with the deepest farm system in baseball, but there's more than enough talent in the pipeline to accommodate Milwaukee.
The Yankees can offer up Will Warren and/or Luis Gil, both ready-made rotation options in 2026. Top prospects on the mound, like Elmer Rodriguez and Ben Hess, could be on the MLB stage within a couple years. The Yankees can also beef up the Brewers lineup, with former top prospects like Jasson Domínguez and Spencer Jones — both of whom hit the baseball extremely hard, and both of whom would benefit from the Brewers' world-class player development.
1. New York Mets
Potential trade bait: RHP Jonah Tong (No. 4 prospect), RHP Brandon Sproat (No. 5 prospect), 1B/3B Mark Vientos, 3B Brett Baty, UTL Luisangel Acuña, UTL Ronny Mauricio, 1B Ryan Clifford (No. 8 prospect)
The New York Mets are the team best equipped, in terms of MLB-ready pitching and overall prospect depth, to really challenge the Dodgers in a bidding war. Trading Peralta to the Mets is not exactly ideal from Milwaukee's standpoint — it's still improving a direct NL competitor — but it does not block the path to a World Series quite like trading him to L.A., even if the Dodgers can put the best offer together on paper.
Nolan McLean is a no-go in these negotiations, but Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat both made their MLB debuts last season, and both could appeal to Milwaukee as long-term cornerstones on the mound. Tong has a funky, Lincecum-esque overhead release with a deceptive fastball-changeup mix out of that high slot. Sproat gets a bit more velo on his pitches and can get a lot of mileage out of his own changeup.
The Mets can also float Mark Vientos, just a year removed from hitting 27 home runs with an .837 OPS, as he does not have a clear spot in the lineup. If New York wants to open up a spot for Vientos, Brett Baty — .748 OPS, 18 home runs last season — could round out a dominant Brewers infield, as his natural position was just claimed by Bo Bichette.
New York has the motivation to improve an inconsistent and injury-prone rotation. GM David Stearns also happens to come from the Milwaukee lineage, so he knows Peralta's value first-hand. Also, when push comes to shove, the Mets can feel more comfortable than most non-Dodgers teams about Peralta's upcoming free agency, as Steve Cohen is never short on money to burn.