Ever since the Brewers quietly floated the idea that they’d listen to Freddy Peralta, things have escalated quickly. Suddenly, it’s turned into a full-on race among the Dodgers, Yankees, Mets, and Braves. And honestly, Milwaukee may have played this perfectly.

With the Tigers unwilling to move Tarik Skubal and the Twins holding firm on Joe Ryan, the Brewers know exactly where they stand. That leaves Peralta as the only true ace who might actually be available. And that means Milwaukee gets to set the price. The market is theirs.

However, now the Brewers’ latest move involving Peralta, although not tied to a trade, is raising eyebrows. It may not say everything outright, but it does offer a subtle clue about how the front office is thinking about his future.

“Freddy Peralta already has permission from the Brewers and will be with the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic.” MLB analyst Marino Pepen quoted the Dominican Republic manager, Nelson Cruz, in the WBC.

Well, if you remember, back in August 2025, the Brewers had already given Freddy Peralta the green light to pitch for the Dominican Republic in the WBC. That’s a big deal, especially when you look back at the Dominican Republic’s issues in the last WBC.

In 2023, rotation depth was a real problem. After Sandy Alcántara and Cristian Javier, there just weren’t many dependable arms to lean on.

That could look very different in 2026 with Peralta in the mix. Notably, after early exits in both 2017 and 2023, the Dominican Republic is desperate to get back to the semifinals for the first time since its title run in 2013. So, if they’re going to make a serious push, Peralta figures to be a major piece, and the way he’s pitching right now, he looks built for that stage.

Why wouldn’t he be?

Peralta dominated in 2025, finishing 17–6 with a 2.70 ERA across 33 starts. The 29-year-old punched out 204 hitters, giving him three straight 200-strikeout seasons, and logged nearly 177 innings with a sparkling 1.08 WHIP.

So yes, it’s easy to see why Cruz would be thrilled to have Peralta on his WBC roster. But at the same time, there’s a deeper layer here. Letting Peralta pitch in the WBC does carry some risk, and it could subtly suggest the Brewers are more open to moving him down the line.

For interested teams, that only adds as a premium chip worth betting on.

The Brewers are looking to make the best out of the Peralta trade

Well, if the projected trade scenarios are any indication, the Brewers are sitting on a golden opportunity to seriously restock their farm system by moving Freddy Peralta. The biggest upside is obvious: landing a strong haul of prospects and/or young, major league–ready talent with years of team control. Moreover, if you remember, that’s similar to what they pulled off in the Corbin Burnes deal.

That kind of return helps keep the organization competitive well beyond the short term.

Additionally, take the Yankees as an example. They’ve been projected to offer a package headlined by their No. 2 prospect Carlos Lagrange, along with No. 7 prospect Dax Kilby and No. 15 prospect Brendan Jones. That’s a massive amount of value coming back in one trade.

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So, moving Peralta now would allow the Brewers to cash in at peak value, rather than risking him walking in free agency after the 2026 season and settling for nothing more than a compensatory draft pick. From a long-term perspective, it’s a move that makes a lot of sense.