The Milwaukee Brewers did not make a big splash during the Winter Meetings but are still viewed as one of MLB's better teams.
As expected, the Milwaukee Brewers did not suddenly expand their limited payroll to acquire a big free agent name during the Winter Meetings, nor did they pursue a splash trade. However, things are still looking good for the Brewers.
According to a recent power rankings list by Bleacher Report, Milwaukee is eighth among the 30 MLB teams.
“The surprise decision of Brandon Woodruff to accept his $22.025 million qualifying offer has led to some concerns from the Brewers front office over their payroll,” it wrote. “Ace Freddy Peralta and relievers Trevor Megill and Nick Mears have all emerged as potential trade candidates as they continue to churn through veteran talent in favor of cheaper alternatives.”
Coming off a franchise-best 97-win season, the Brewers seem to believe in the talent available to them in the building. The payroll is one of the lowest in the league with only three players earning more than $10 million: Christian Yelich, Woodruff and William Contreras. Therefore, Milwaukee will shed salary before adding it, and Peralta may end up getting moved sooner than later.
“It appears the Brewers are not only listening on Peralta,” former MLB executive Jim Bowden wrote in The Athletic. “But they are also considering all offers at this point. It seems likely now that he will be moved because he’s a top-five Cy Young Award finisher and will pitch on a very affordable $8 million salary for 2026, making his trade value that much higher than expected.”
Peralta is coming off a career-best season. Through 33 starts, the 29-year-old went 17-6 with a 2.70 ERA, a 5.5 WAR and a 1.08 WHIP through 176.2 innings of work. His production made it obvious for president of baseball operations Matt Arnold and the front office to pick up Peralta’s club option, and they have been in a similar situation with elite pitching talent before.
“Under similar circumstances two offseasons ago, the Brewers traded righty Corbin Burnes to the Orioles,” The Ahtletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon wrote. “Burnes was set to make $15.6 million, nearly twice as much as Peralta. His salary alone motivated the low-revenue Brewers to act, and they turned Burnes into shortstop Joey Ortiz, lefty DL Hall and the 34th pick in the draft, which they used on first baseman Blake Burke.”
Milwaukee added outfield depth by signing Akil Baddoo to a one-year deal, which brings versatility to the roster at a low price point, and it will be worth watching to see what other transactions manifest.