The temptation to reunite with a fan favorite lingered over the MLB Trade Deadline for the Milwaukee Brewers, but the front office was wise to stick by its original instinct and let the Freddy Peralta era go.
The 30-year-old former Brewers ace was dealt to the New York Mets for utility man Jett Williams and right-handed pitcher Brandon Sproat back in January, to a mixed response from Milwaukee's dedicated fanbase. It was hard saying goodbye to a homegrown player who spent eight seasons developing into a standout starter in Milwaukee, but there were underlying concerns that came to a head during his 22 starts for New York.
Without the Brewers' expert pitching development staff, Peralta reverted to a 4.99 ERA with a -0.2 WAR so far this season, which ranks as the second-worst mark of his career. His worst habits came back to the forefront, and it appears that his confidence took a shot in the process, putting him in a position for one of the worst seasons of his career.
Despite chatter that the Brewers could try to reacquire him for pennies on the dollar, it appears both sides decided to go in another direction, as Peralta is now headed to the Tampa Bay Rays with the Mets clearing house and entering prospect acquisition mode. And frankly, the Milwaukee Brewers are better off for it.
Reintegrating Freddy Peralta wouldn't have addressed the Milwaukee Brewers' immediate needs at the MLB Trade Deadline.
While it would've been a nice story, the idea sounds much better than the reality of Milwaukee pulling off another Peralta trade. Since the deal is so fresh, and the Mets are still scorned from being on the losing side of that deal, the price would've been astronomical. Meanwhile, Williams remains one of the more fascinating young players in the game, ranked 76th in the MiLB's Top 100 Prospects, while Sproat shows flashes of potential despite struggling to make a name for himself in the majors.
Meanwhile, the Rays only had to give up their 15th, 26th and 27th-ranked prospects, none of which are in the Top 100. So it's safe to say this is more of a salary dump and swing at a few prospects for the Mets than what they likely would've asked for in a deal with the Brewers.
All the while, it'd become the Brewers' responsibility to get Peralta's consistency and confidence back on track. But with only a third of the season left to do it, that's a tall task for a team with genuine World Series aspirations. Instead, Milwaukee will likely look at starting pitchers who are more ready to enter the lineup and apply pressure on opposing batters from day one.
So yes, the sentiment of bringing Freddy home was nice, but he's not what Milwaukee needs right now. Hats off to the Brewers' front office leadership for identifying that and steering clear.
Add us as a preferred source on Google