Brewers’ unexpected change of heart could put a top-tier ace within Padres’ reach

The 2025 winter meetings are coming to a close, and it is safe to say that the Padres will be a team to watch as they explore the starting pitcher market.

The truth is, San Diego may have a chance to acquire an ace via trade with one NL Central team that may have gone back on their word regarding one of their “franchise cornerstones.”

The Milwaukee Brewers finished the regular season with the league’s best record at 97–65, earning themselves a first-round bye. They went on to defeat the Chicago Cubs in five games, punching their ticket to the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, they were no match, as they got swept.

Brewers’ pivot on Freddy Peralta could hand Padres a surprise ace option

About a week later, they expressed their desire to move on from Freddy Peralta, a two-time All-Star who has been with the Brewers since 2018. But the team removed Peralta from the trade block about a week later.

Fast forward to just before the winter meetings, and it seems as if the Brewers may “keep the door open” for offers, according to The Athletic’s Jim Bowden.

Peralta had his 2026 club option picked up, putting him on the books for $8 million. But this will be his last year under team control, and we all know that a small-market team like Milwaukee won’t break the bank to keep him around long-term.

A trade seems evident, as the two parties will likely be at a crossroads come the end of the 2026 season. It would be wise for the Brewers to trade him away, as they could gain a king’s ransom in return.

Peralta posted a 5.5 WAR season while finishing fifth in NL Cy Young Award voting. He posted a 2.70 ERA over 176.2 innings pitched, putting up these elite numbers by maintaining one of the league’s most balanced pitch arsenals. Peralta ranks in the top 3% in pitching run value, while ranking in the top 16% in fastball, breaking, and offspeed run value.

The Padres could seriously benefit by adding Peralta over the offseason via trade, as the front-end of the rotation, in all likelihood, will be decimated come opening day. Dylan Cease, the team’s ace in 2025, signed a seven-year, $210 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays back in November.

Michael King, on the other hand, is more affordable, but reports reveal that he is likely off the table as well. Meanwhile, Yu Darvish will miss the entirety of 2026 after undergoing season-ending Tommy John Surgery. You get the point, the Padres need to make a move or two to fill the voids in the rotation.

What makes adding Peralta even more ideal is the fact that the club-option will make it so easy for the president of baseball operations, A.J.Preller to use the remaining money on other holes in the roster.

There is one glaring issue that could cause a potential trade to fall through is the fact that San Diego has no farm system to sacrifice. Well, they do, but they won’t be ready for action until 2028 at the earliest.

Trading for Peralta would be a dream for Preller and the front office, as pairing him alongside Nick Pivetta would be a nasty one-two punch. The only question is what lengths will Preller go through to make this happen? We will find out soon enough.