Rumors are swirling around the Atlanta Braves being interested, among other MLB teams, in right-hander Freddy Peralta. It makes sense that Atlanta would have interest in trading for the current Brewers ace.
Peralta would fill an immediate need in the rotation and would also allow the Braves to possibly move one of their fringe arms to the bullpen. However, there's a lot to consider with Peralta and if a trade makes any sense for the Braves.
There are a few teams to compete with, including the Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, and Red Sox. That will make the Brewers more selective in their choice. Atlanta will have to consider parting with some top prospects if they want to make it happen.
Braves have the pieces to put together a reasonable Freddy Peralta trade package, but things get dicey if the Brewers play hard ball
Peralta is slated to make an extremely affordable $8 million next season, but he is a free agent after 2026. That is a great motivator to get a deal done for the right price. Peralta's contract cost is a great value for a pitcher who had a 2.70 ERA over 176.2 innings, with 66 walks and 204 strikeouts.
Let's explore what a trade package could look like for the talented righty. As mentioned above, the Braves will have to consider moving top prospects to get this done. Atlanta's top prospect, Cam Caminiti, would likely be the centerpiece of that trade.
Earlier potential trades for Peralta also featured Caminiti, but he won't be enough. The Braves would have to include a couple more prospects to complete a deal. They could include their ninth and 10th best prospects, Conor Essenburg and Drue Hackenberg, as well.
Essenburg is an outfielder who was drafted in the fifth round of the 2025 draft. Hackenberg, who is a pitcher knocking on the doors of the big leagues, was drafted in the second round of the 2023 draft.
That should be enough to get a deal done (at least in theory), but it would be a massive overpay for just one year of Peralta. Atlanta would have to work out a Sean Murphy/Matt Olson situation to make a trade with the Brewers make sense. If they can get Peralta to agree to a contract extension shortly after completing a trade, it would make parting with three top prospects a lot easier.