MLB Trade Rumors: Milwaukee Brewers Could Trade Their Top Player This Season

Noted MLB Insider Buster Olney has laid out a shocking scenario for the Milwaukee Brewers this season, as they wallow around at two games under .500 going into Friday's play, and sit in 3rd place in the NL Central Division.

If the Brew Crew don't turn things around and start looking like a contender, they could, according to Olney, trade their ace and former All-Star Freddy Peralta. With only a 5.3% chance currently of gaining a Wild Card berth in the "stacked" National League, says Olney, the Brewers would be better off doing like the Tampa Bay Rays, and getting out in front of it by trading Peralta when his value is at an all-time high.

Freddy Peralta has been one of the league's best starters this year, and he's earning a very affordable $8 million this year, with Milwaukee holding an $8 million option for next season.

Olney then goes on to name the two teams who would seem to be the likeliest suitors and the best fits for Peralta:

Orioles & Yankees would be prime suitors for Freddy Peralta on trade market

"If the (Baltimore) Orioles landed him, he would instantly become their ace.

"For the (New York) Yankees, he could be a bedrock behind Max Fried and Carlos Rodon. If Peralta stays healthy, his value will never be higher than it is now."

Peralta has made nine starts this season, and has a 2.66 ERA with a 1.06 WHIP with a 52:18 strikeout to walk ratio in 50 innings. He's holding opponents to a .197 batting average.

The soon-to-be 29-year-old began his excellent run as a full-time starter in the Brewers' rotation in 2021 with an All-Star campaign that saw him go 10-5 with a 2.81 ERA and 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings.

He's cracked the 200 strikeout mark in each of the last two seasons, and has maintained ERAs in the mid-to-high 3s as a high-end starter for five straight years now.

If the Brewers were to pull off the surprising move of putting Peralta on the trade market, the Yanks and O's would have plenty of competition in the bidding.