The New York Yankees could definitely afford to add another pitcher to their starting rotation, which showed some cracks in the playoffs and will be without both Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon to start the 2026 MLB campaign.

The Yankees probably won't be signing any of Framber Valdez, Dylan Cease or Ranger Suarez in free agency, nor should they. Instead, New York seems more likely to focus on the trade market, where there should be a bounty of strong arms available.

One of the top pitchers who could be moved this winter is Milwaukee Brewers star Freddy Peralta, who is preparing to enter his final year of club control and could prove too expensive for the Brewers to re-sign in free agency.

Jim Bowden of The Athletic has pitched some potential Peralta trade ideas for Milwaukee, and not surprisingly, the Yankees were named one of the top landing spots for the right-hander.

Bowden proposed that New York could send pitcher Will Warren and utility man Jose Caballero to the Brewers in exchange for Peralta in a deal similar to the one the Yanks made for Devin Williams last offseason, where the Yankees shipped pitcher Nestor Cortes and infielder Caleb Durbin to Milwaukee in exchange for the All-Star closer.

"Warren would step right into the Brewers’ rotation, and they would control him for five more years," Bowden wrote. "Warren, 26, was 9-8 last year for the Yankees with a 4.44 ERA in 162 1/3 innings with 171 strikeouts. Of course, Peralta is a No. 1-type starter and Warren is more of a mid-rotation arm, but mid-rotation starters with that much team control left can be a valuable part of roster building. Warren has a plus fastball and the Brewers have a history of getting the most out of their pitching talent."

Bowden added that it might be difficult for New York to move Caballero considering Anthony Volpe is slated to miss the start of the season while recovering from shoulder surgery, but let's be real here for a second: if the Brewers are willing to accept that package for Peralta, the Yankees should make this deal today.

Peralta went 17-6 with a 2.70 ERA while allowing 124 hits and racking up 204 strikeouts over 176.2 innings of work this past season.

The 29-year-old has made 30 starts three years in a row and owns a lifetime average of 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings since entering the big leagues in 2018. In fact, the only time he didn't register double digits in that department came in 2022, when he logged 9.9.

A two-time All-Star, Peralta boasts a career 3.58 ERA, and while he posted ERAs in the mid to upper 3s between 2022 and 2024, he would comprise a massive upgrade over Warren regardless.

Warren was not even a member of the Yankees' playoff rotation, and once Cole and Rodon return next spring, Warren may be out of the five-man rotation altogether considering New York also has Max Fried, Cam Schlittler and Luis Gil.

My guess is that it would take at least one of New York's top pitching prospects to make this trade happen. It seems hard to imagine Milwaukee accepting a Warren-Caballero return in exchange for Peralta, but if the Brewers are willing, the Yankees shouldn't hesitate in pulling the trigger.