The Milwaukee Brewers do not see Brandon Woodruff accepting their one-year qualifying offer worth $22.025 million as a prelude to trading their other top starter Freddy Peralta, according to owner Mark Attanasio and president of baseball operations Matt Arnold.
“Independent decisions Matt and his group will make,” Attanasio said in a message to The Athletic on Tuesday. “We’re certainly excited about our rotation now.”
Arnold expressed nearly identical sentiments, adding: “Independent decisions, and excited about our rotation.”
The comments from the Brewers’ top-ranking officials, however, do not completely rule out a trade.
The Brewers’ 2025 payroll was approximately $123 million, according to FanGraphs. Together, Woodruff and Peralta are set to make around $30 million. But Milwaukee can reduce the impact of Woodruff’s acceptance of the qualifying offer by negotiating a multi-year deal with a lower annual average value.
Though the context has changed, the stance reiterates the view Arnold expressed last week at the GM Meetings when he said he anticipated Peralta “being part of our team moving forward.”
Peralta, 29, is entering his walk year and is set to earn $8 million in 2026, a relatively modest salary for a pitcher widely viewed as a top-of-the-rotation option. Peralta had a 2.70 ERA/1.07 WHIP with 204 strikeouts in 176 2/3 innings last season. His salary makes Peralta highly attractive to potential suitors, but also quite affordable for the Brewers.
If the Brewers traded Peralta, Attanasio would risk receiving serious grief from fans fresh off a trip to the National League Championship Series. Attanasio is also a central figure in negotiations for the CBA. With a potential lockout looming, trading away a top starter at a relative affordable price would invite scrutiny.
Faced with a similar situation two years ago, the Milwaukee Brewers traded Corbin Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles for shortstop Joey Ortiz, left-hander D.L. Hall and the 34th pick in the 2024 draft.
The difference with Peralta is that Burnes was due nearly twice that amount. Milwaukee could take the same route with Peralta that it did with shortstop Willy Adames, another player who was essential to the team’s fabric. The Brewers kept Adames until he was a free agent, then received the 32nd pick in the draft after he signed with the San Francisco Giants.