With Carlos Rodón expected to miss the start of the 2026 season after undergoing an elbow procedure and Gerrit Cole still recovering from Tommy John surgery, the New York Yankees will be looking to bolster their starting rotation this offseason. Brian Cashman and Co. were already urged to swing a trade for Detroit Tigers’ $400 million ace Tarik Skubal. Now, they’re being pushed to make a move for the Milwaukee Brewers’ $8 million sensation.

Apparently, the Milwaukee Brewers will be entertaining offers for Freddy Peralta this winter. The Yankees should consider him because he’s only owed $8 million for 2026. Peralta has matched Gerrit Cole’s K-BB% at 20% since 2023.

While acquiring him shouldn’t require giving up the farm, it will still cost the Yankees some crucial pieces. After all, Peralta finished in the top 10 in ERA in pitching strikeouts among qualified starters this season, and he would slot in perfectly inside this rotation, per Ryan Garcia.

Having the combination of Max Fried, Freddy Peralta, Cam Schlittler, Gerrit Cole, and Carlos Rodon could give the Yankees a chance to completely shut down even the best lineups. Most importantly, Peralta can offer durability to the Yankees. In the past few years he has been one of the most consistent pitchers. Describing the Brewers’ early exit from the NLCS, he said it was a “tough one” for him.

Peralta will be a free agent after the 2026 season, and in over eight seasons with the Brewers, the 29-year-old has gone 70-42 with a 3.59 ERA with a 1.132 WHIP. He has held a 117 ERA+ in that span. The 2025 season was one of his best, as he recorded a 2.70 ERA and stacked up 17 wins with a 1.075 WHIP.

All of that combined landed him in the All-Star game for the second time of his career. If the Brewers were to trade Peralta to the Yankees, they could receive multiple young assets in return. Now, the Yankees can only land Peralta if the Oakland Athletics don’t beat them to it.

Could the Oakland Athletics swoop in and acquire Freddy Peralta from the Milwaukee Brewers?

Freddy Peralta carries an $8 million club option for 2026. It’s a reasonable value for a pitcher of his talent. Meanwhile, except for the Yankees, the Oakland Athletics are also looking to strengthen their rotation this offseason. Adding another veteran arm could assist them in avoiding another long stretch of slumps in the 2026 campaign.

Now, what would it really take from the Athletics to land Peralta? Brewers’ trade history provides some insight into this. They got Nestor Cortes and Caleb Durbin from the Yankees in exchange for Devin Williams last winter.

In fact, during the last offseason, the Baltimore Orioles sent DL Hall and Joey Ortiz for one year of Burnes. In both of these cases, the Milwaukee Brewers have acquired one pitcher and one hitter. For a potential trade with the Brewers for Freddy Peralta, the Athletics could send J.T. Ginn, Joey Estes, Osvaldo Bido, Brady Basso, Luis Medina, Gunnar Hoglund, or Mitch Spence to Milwaukee.

The Oakland Athletics finished their 2025 season with a 76-86 record. They do have enough talent to be excited about for the next season. On the other hand, the Brewers had the best regular-season record this season but still got swept in the National League Championship Series. The Freddy Peralta trade could turn out to be fruitful for both!