The Milwaukee Brewers are coming off of the best regular season in franchise history. They, of course, finished with the best record in baseball at 97-65 and defeated the Chicago Cubs in the NLDS 3-2, their first postseason series win since 2018.

Unfortunately, the Brewers were swept out of the NLCS by the Los Angeles Dodgers, who went on to win the World Series in seven games. And now that the postseason is over, every team is looking ahead to 2026 and what they need to do to prepare for the upcoming season.

In Milwaukee, as always, there are some tough questions regarding player retention, and this is particularly true of All-Star starting pitcher Freddy Peralta.

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta could very well remain on the team in 2026

Earlier this offseason, to the surprise of no one, the Brewers picked up their $8 million club option to retain Peralta in 2026. It is the final year of his contract with Milwaukee, though, and given the Brewers’ track record of trading off their best players before they reach free agency, many felt that picking up the option was just a formality before the team potentially traded him.

And, indeed, there are many MLB teams interested in Peralta should he be available via trade. After all, he was 17-6 with a 2.70 ERA last season, had over 200 strikeouts for the third year in a row, and led the National League in wins.

However, Brewers general manager Matt Arnold is not looking to trade his ace. Per Adam McCalvy, Arnold said, “Certainly, every team in the league is interested in Freddy Peralta, but he means a lot to us, too. I would anticipate he’s part of our team.

“We’ve had to make tough decisions on the Haders of the world and Corbin Burnes and things like that, and Freddy is certainly in that conversation. We’ll never close the door on anything, just because we’re the smallest market in the league and we have to make tough decisions like that. But, you know, we think he can certainly help us next year.”

Teams are certainly contacting Arnold and the Brewers about Peralta, and Milwaukee is undoubtedly listening to have they have to say. However, as seen from Arnold’s statement, they do not feel like they absolutely have to trade him.

Obviously, bringing Peralta back in 2026 would be huge for the starting rotation, which struggled with injuries last season. Indeed, Peralta, for the second year in a row, was the only Brewers starter to make 30 or more starts during the season.

This all being said, if Milwaukee does end up keeping their ace for 2026, it likely will be his final year with the Brewers as he will hit free agency and likely cost far more than the franchise will be willing to pay. Milwaukee made a similar decision with former shortstop Willy Adames as he entered the final year of his club control with the Brewers before he hit free agency.

More Milwaukee Brewers news from Wisconsin Sports Heroics

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