A new report from The Athletic names the Braves as one of several teams in pursuit of the Milwaukee ace.
The Atlanta Braves are coming off a tough 2025 season where they finished 76-86 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
They need to improve their rotation heading into 2026, and a new report says they have their eyes on one of the best pitchers available on the trade market.
Braves Join Race for Peralta
According to Will Sammon and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, trade talks for Milwaukee Brewers ace Freddy Peralta are heating up again now that the calendar has turned to January.
"The Freddy Peralta talks are about to resume in earnest. Both New York clubs, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox are among the teams showing interest," Sammon and Rosenthal wrote on Monday. "Some low-revenue clubs that can absorb Peralta's $8 million salary are in play as well."
The 29-year-old right-hander had a strong 2025 season for Milwaukee, posting a 17-6 record with a 2.70 ERA and 204 strikeouts across 176.2 innings in 33 starts.
He finished fifth in the National League Cy Young Award voting and was named an All-Star for the second time in his career.
The Brewers went 97-65 and won the NL Central before getting swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS.
What Would Peralta Cost?
Getting Peralta will not be easy for the Braves, and The Athletic report makes clear that Milwaukee is not going to give him away cheaply even though he only has one year left on his contract before hitting free agency.
"The Brewers' price, even with Peralta under club control for one more season, remains high," Sammon and Rosenthal wrote. "A major-league-ready starting pitcher figures to be part of the desired return, so the team can remain a contender."
The report also points out that any team that trades for Peralta could make a qualifying offer at the end of 2026 and get a draft pick in return if he signs elsewhere, which gives the acquiring team some extra value.
However, the Braves have said they do not want to trade away their top pitching prospects, which could make putting together a package more difficult when they are going up against teams like the Dodgers who have more minor league talent to offer.
How Peralta Would Help Atlanta
The Braves rotation took a major hit in 2025 with injuries to several key starters.
While Chris Sale had another strong year when healthy with a 2.58 ERA in 21 starts, he missed about two months after fracturing his ribs diving for a ball.
Spencer Strider also dealt with injury issues, and the team lost Max Fried and Charlie Morton in free agency the previous offseason.
Adding Peralta would give Atlanta a proven front-of-the-rotation arm to pair with Sale and help stabilize a pitching staff that struggled with depth last season.
His $8 million salary for 2026 is very reasonable for a pitcher of his caliber, and he has shown he can stay on the mound by making at least 30 starts in each of the past three seasons.
The Braves have been more active this offseason after their disappointing 2025 campaign, and bringing in Peralta would send a clear message that they are serious about getting back to the playoffs.
Whether they can put together a trade package that satisfies Milwaukee without giving up too much of their future remains the big question as these talks move forward.