The Boston Red Sox can have a field day in trade negotiations this winter, particularly with prospect-hungry, small-market teams like the Milwaukee Brewers. Fortunately for Boston, Freddy Peralta is the hot topic on Milwaukee general manager Matt Arnold's phone lines, especially if the Brewers are open to moving on from Peralta. The latest intel suggests that a trade might be easier said than done, but just like the Million Dollar Man said, everybody's got a price.
The 2025 Brewers were the best team in the National League, winning 97 games in the regular season. They made it all the way to the National League Championship Series but got swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the most lopsided ways possible. The main reason? They didn't have a power bat for their lineup.
Fortunately, for the Brewers, the Red Sox can help solve that issue with a few potential trade options, all while bringing Peralta to Beantown.
Red Sox's Project Freddy Peralta Trade No. 1
The Red Sox could make this work, since the Brewers already have a great rotation without Peralta. They see that, too, or else they wouldn't have been reportedly gauging trade interest last month, per CBS Sports' Mike Axisa. They're strategy is to trade him before he's owed an extension, but not too close to the point where his value diminishes because of it.
Franklin Arias, Mikey Romero, and Marcus Phillips have outstanding potential, and adding a power-hitter like Triston Casas could tempt the Brewers even more, with proper negotiating, of course. But if they won't bite, it'll be because Casas is too injury-prone after missing the majority of 2025. It could be a hard sell, for sure.
If that's the case, here's a second option:
Red Sox's Project Freddy Peralta Trade No. 2
This one could just take the cake. Wilyer Abreu to Milwaukee would not only bolster their already gold-glove outfield with Sal Frelick and move Christian Yelich to full-time designated hitter, but he's cost-controlled for several seasons (until 2029), and he has massive power in that bat. So he's a win-now plus a foundation asset that Milwaukee would adore.
Kyson Witherspoon being added this soon could turn some heads or roll some eyes, but bear with me here. He was the 15th overall pick earlier this year, and the only reason he was picked "low" was because most of the teams before them went for their pet picks. He was supposed to be the first or second right-hander off the board. He was the third behind Seth Hernandez from Corona HS (CA) and Tyler Bremner from UC Santa Barbara.
He's projected to excel the quickest out of all three, and with the pitching factory they've been building at Milwaukee, he'll be more than okay developing for them. Don't believe me, just ask former Red Sox pitcher Quinn Priester, as he's fresh off a career year. He can also top 99 mph on his fastball. He's a high-risk, high-reward pitcher with premium upside. Given that Boston wants to trade for a more established #2 pitcher in their rotation, Witherspoon could be such a sacrifice given up.
Red Sox Must Tempt Brewers' Hand
It isn't hard to see why the Red Sox would want Peralta. The Brewers' ace had the best season of his career, tallying a personal-best 2.70 ERA while starting in the most games he's ever started (33), along with the most innings pitched (176 2/3). He also gave up the least amount of earned runs with more than 20 starts (53), all while striking out 204 strikeouts with the highest ERA+ of his career at 154. The average ERA+ in 2025 was 100, by the way.
No matter what the Red Sox give up, they will have more than enough wiggle room for their prospects. Sometimes, a team needs to pick at the ground before they do some digging. Once they're sure what lies beneath, it's time for shovels to break down.
In this case, the Red Sox should at least kick the tires on a potential Peralta trade, even if it's a long shot at best. Hopefully, Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow has something up his sleeve, because adding an arm like the Brewers' ace could be the difference between another early playoff exit and a World Series run.