The Milwaukee Brewers have been buyers at the trade deadline since 2017, which dates back eight seasons. Despite this track record, Buster Olney of ESPN believes this year the Brewers will take a new approach as an opportunist. His proposed theory would be them dealing their ace in order to take advantage of the market and get maximum return.
Why would the Milwaukee Brewers want to be opportunists at the 2025 MLB trade deadline?
Even though the MLB trade deadline is over two months away, Olney is already viewing Milwaukee as potential opportunists, meaning they would take advantage of a rather small starting pitcher market and get a huge return. Olney cited that the National League is stacked this year and that the Brewers best path to making the post season this year is by winning their division, but the Chicago Cubs look like a real threat to win the central.
The Milwaukee Brewers are hovering around .500 in an absolutely stacked National League, and even though they could be within range of the division lead in July, it would be with diminished hope if the Chicago Cubs continue to build on their strong start. Additionally, it might be unlikely that in an NL packed with playoff-caliber teams — the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves in the East, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks in the West — that Milwaukee could even win a wild-card spot. The Brewers have better chances of taking the NL Central (13%) than earning a wild-card berth (5.3%), according to Fangraphs.
Trading Freddy Peralta would give the Brewers a huge return
If executive Matt Arnold and company were to explore the opportunist avenue, Olney suggests that the player they trade is Freddy Peralta. Between his modest salary, performance, and control through the 2026 season, his value as a trade target has never been higher. Trading him now would give Milwaukee several pieces for the future.
Freddy Peralta has been one of the league’s best starters this year, and he’s earning a very affordable $8 million this year, with Milwaukee holding an $8 million option for next season. If the Orioles landed him, he would instantly become their ace. For the Yankees, he could be a bedrock behind Max Fried and Carlos Rodon. If Peralta stays healthy, his value will never be higher than it is now.
How the Brewers perform over the next two months will play a big factor as towards what they do at the trade deadline. Right now they are sitting below .500, and if they don’t stay within reach of the Cubs by the end of July they may very much find themselves dealing players to contending teams. If they stay within grasps of a playoff spot, odds are that they will hold onto their key players.
Follow me on X @tylerkoerth. Follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great up to date sports content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!. We cover the Milwaukee Brewers, Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Bucks, Wisconsin Badgers, LOVB-Madison, and Wisconsin High School Sports. Additionally we provide the latest news coverage on the NFL, MLB, and NBA in which you can follow Gridiron Heroics, Hardwood Heroics, and Homeplate Heroics.
