“Because of the depth that we’ve built up over the last couple of years, we feel pretty good about just overall starting pitching and numbers 3-ish through 10-ish (on the depth chart),” Breslow said on Nov. 11 to The Athletic. “That’s not to take away from guys who are certainly capable of doing more — but I don’t think we’re going to spend a ton of time trying to add a No. 4 or No. 5 starter. If we’re going to make a starting pitching addition, I think it should be somebody who can pitch at the front of a rotation and start a playoff game for us.”
Peralta has been the Brewers’ ace over the last two seasons and was named an All-Star for the second time in his career this year. He had a 2.70 ERA and 204 strikeouts on the season. However, he is at a point in his contract where the Milwaukee Brewers have been known to deal pitchers.
The Brewers picked up his very affordable $8 million option for next season, but after that, he is a free agent. He is very cheap for an ace, and the Brewers may already know they will not be able to afford him on the open market. They could trade him a year early, like they did with Devin Williams, Corbin Burnes and Josh Hader.
Brandon Woodruff just accepted the qualifying offer, and Passan thinks that this means a Peralta trade is more likely.
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“Now that Brandon Woodruff accepted a qualifying offer, executives with interest in acquiring Peralta believe it drastically increases the chances of him moving,” Passan wrote on Tuesday. “If Woodruff had hit free agency, Peralta almost certainly would have stayed. Now Milwaukee has more flexibility to see how much it can rep for a frontline starter with an ultra-cheap $8 million salary.”
Peralta’s cheap salary makes him a very attractive pitcher. Some team is going to pay him, and if Milwaukee knows they are not going to be that team, a package of prospects could entice them to deal their ace. Woodruff is an All-Star pitcher that the team may be able to lean on now that he has accepted the qualifying offer.
Peralta would instantly slot in as the Red Sox No. 2 starter. He and Garrett Crochet would be one of the best duos in baseball. If his chances of being dealt are truly high, the Red Sox would be wise to give the Brewers a call.
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