After an offseason of trade rumors swirling around Brewers ace Freddy Peralta, it seems as if he is destined to go to the worst destination possible. According to Jon Heyman, the New York Mets are in serious talks about a trade centered around Peralta.
The Braves have often been listed as one of the biggest suitors for Peralta this winter, and watching him go to a division rival would be a massive blow. Early reports have Jett Williams, the 30th ranked prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline as one of the pieces headed back to Milwaukee.
The New York Mets are in serious talks to acquire Freddy Peralta from the Milwaukee Brewers in a trade
— Pat Ragazzo (@ragazzoreport) January 22, 2026
Jett Williams would be one of the pieces going to Milwaukee
Mets reportedly set to acquire Brewers ace Freddy Peralta much to the chagrin of Braves fans
Peralta finished fifth in NL Cy Young voting last season after posting a 2.70 ERA, 3.64 FIP, and 5.5 bWAR. The Braves ultimately didn’t have the prospect capital needed to acquire Peralta, and as a double whammy, he is likely headed to a division rival. Thankfully, Peralta is under contract for just one more year, although it isn’t out of the question for him to work out an extension with his new team.
For the Braves, this is pretty brutal. On top of losing out on the one rotation arm that they seemed willing to make a real push for that is likely to be a difference-maker, but it looks like they are going to lose him to the Mets who, just a week or so ago, couldn't get out of their own way.
Just like that, the NL East got a whole lot tougher for everyone. Atlanta is going to have their work cut out for them if they want to keep pace in the division this year. Thankfully, it looks like the Phillies can't figure what they want to accomplish after missing on Bo Bichette, but there are still at least three teams right now that could make some serious noise.