The New York Yankees would be paying a steep price in a trade for this All-Star pitcher, but it might be worth it.
The New York Yankees have reportedly been in trade discussions for a starting pitcher, and the top target all along has been Milwaukee Brewers star Freddy Peralta.
Peralta is slated to hit free agency after next season, so the Brewers could be looking to move him now and get something in return before he walks for nothing next winter.
That doesn't mean the price won't be steep, though.
The Yankees do have the goods to swing a trade for Peralta, as they are loaded with talented young pitching in their farm system and would probably be amenable to trading out of that surplus. But how much exactly would Milwaukee demand?
Well, Jay Staph of Just Baseball has proposed a deal in which New York would send Luis Gil, Carlos Lagrange and Spencer Jones to the Brewers in exchange for Peralta.
This would certainly be an expensive trade for the Yanks given that Gil is two seasons removed from an AL Rookie of the Year award while Lagrange and Jones are two of their top prospects, but for Peralta, it might be worth the plunge.
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Freddy Peralta. Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images.Gil was terrific for most of 2024, but a lat injury sidelined him for the first few months of last season. And while he did log a 3.32 ERA over 11 starts in 2025, his peripherals were concerning. His velocity dropped, and his strikeout rate (6.5 K/9) absolutely plummeted.
Meanwhile, Lagrange is a flamethrower, but he does possess significant control issues (career 5.2 BB/9 in the minors), and the Yankees have enough pitching depth in their farm system with arms like Elmer Rodriguez, Bryce Cunningham and Ben Hess, among others, that they could afford to move Lagrange for an established frontline starter such as Peralta.
Then there is Jones, the Yankees' 6-foot-7, 240-pound behemoth who smashed 35 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A this past year, but has glaring strikeout problems and is already 24 years old. Jones turns 25 in May, and he is still yet to sniff the big leagues.
As painful of a trade as this might be for the Bronx Bombers, it would probably be worth seriously considering. Aaron Judge turns 34 in April. Giancarlo Stanton is 36. Gerrit Cole is 35. The Yankees' window with this core is closing. They need to win now.
Adding Peralta would give them a great chance to do just that, so even if it will cost New York quite a haul, the Yanks may need to pull the trigger.