Brewers thinking about running back a tried-and-true move: trading a star player

Save for the Sonny Gray trade and the Chicago Cubs' signing of reliever Phil Maton, the MLB offseason's early fireworks have mostly passed the National League Central by.

That being said, one of the league's most prominent trade chips remains in the division: Milwaukee Brewers ace Freddy Peralta.

As Cubs fans know all too well, the Brewers are fresh off their fourth division title in five years, as well as a NLCS appearance that ended in embarrassing fashion to the eventual champion Los Angeles Dodgers. One would think they'd be in the business of adding elite talent, not subtracting it, but this is the small-market Brewers we're talking about.

And sure enough, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic has confirmed that, prior to the Winter Meetings, the Brewers are seriously considering trading their best player.

Brewers' willingness to trade Freddy Peralta could open NL Central door for Cubs

"Perhaps this was inevitable, but the interest in right-hander Freddy Peralta is so significant, the Milwaukee Brewers are now considering 'cracking the door open' for trade discussions, according to a person briefed on their situation," Rosenthal wrote.

If you've been following the Cubs' division rival for some time, you know this a play right out of their favorite part of the playbook. The Brewers have been trading elite pitchers on the cusp of free agency for some time, and though it has tended to work out in their favor, losing Peralta might be a step too far.

They've pulled the same maneuver with Yovani Gallardo, Corbin Burnes, Devin Williams, and Josh Hader in recent years. Peralta was left as the lone top-tier starter in Milwaukee once Burnes was traded to Baltimore and Brandon Woodruff went down with an injury.

He's answered the call, accumulating 8.0 bWAR while going 28-15 since the start of the 2024 season. His 3.19 ERA in that time leads all qualified Brewers starters, as does his 350 1/3 innings pitched.

If he were traded, the Crew's Opening Day rotation would look like this:

1. Brandon Woodruff
2. Jacob Misiorowski
3. Quinn Priester
4. Chad Patrick
5. Logan Henderson

That's not exactly a "bad" group, but that's a lot of unproven talent helmed by a veteran with a laundry list of injury issues.

The Cubs' rotation certainly isn't fearsome either, but it's better than that quintet, especially if Justin Steele can return back to his pre-elbow-injury form in 2026. You'd have to like the North Siders' chances if they were able to match up Steele, Cade Horton, Matthew Boyd, and Jameson Taillon with the top four from the Brewers' list in another playoff series.

For all the complaining Cubs fans do about the team's payroll - which is more than justified - Brewers fans have every right to complain about their penny-pinching ownership group as well.