Red Sox reportedly ‘in on’ Brewers ace Freddy Peralta

Boston Red Sox

Peralta is coming off of an All-Star season where he won 17 games and posted a 2.70 ERA.

The Boston Red Sox are set to leave MLB’s Winter Meetings without a proven slugger like Pete Alonso or Kyle Schwarber. 

But, as Craig Breslow and his staff look to regroup moving forward, could Boston pivot back to adding another proven arm in their rotation via trade? 

According to Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic, the Red Sox are one of the teams “in on” Brewers ace Freddy Peralta, who could be available this offseason. 

“The Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants and Houston Astros are among the teams in on Peralta, according to people familiar with the Brewers’ discussion,” Rosenthal and Sammon wrote, later adding that “no deal appears close.”

Peralta, 29, is coming off of a 2025 season where he went 17-6 with a 2.70 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 204 strikeouts across 33 starts and 176.2 innings of work. Beyond his production on the mound, the righty is set to earn just $8 million in 2026 before hitting free agency.

Adding a two-time All-Star like Peralta would be a major lift for the Red Sox, who could slot him in behind Garrett Crochet and give Boston arguably the best 1-2 punch in the American League. 

The subsequent domino effect would also be welcomed when it comes to pushing pitchers like Sonny Gray, Brayan Bello, and Johan Oviedo further down the depth chart. 

Still, the Red Sox would have to part ways with several assets to pry a proven starter like Peralta out of Milwaukee.

And even if Boston would welcome only taking on $8 million in salary next season, Breslow and Co. would have a bigger issue on their hands moving forward when it comes to retaining the righty ahead of a much-deserved pay raise in 2027 and beyond. 

Another elite starter to pair with Crochet would represent a major coup for Breslow and Co. But based on the chief baseball officer’s comments on Wednesday, the current focus is for the Red Sox to scour MLB’s landscape for more help in the lineup.

Citing a league source, The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey reported on Wednesday that the Red Sox “will now try to get creative in acquiring two bats to bolster their offense” after missing out on Alonso.

“I think a lot of that will depend on who the players are, what the offensive profile is,” Breslow told McCaffrey and other reporters in Florida about Boston adding two bats. “I think we could use somebody that hits in the middle of the lineup.

“We’ve also talked a ton about driving in runs when we have runners in scoring position and less than two out, cutting down on whiff and kind of getting back to doing some of the simple things that score runs. Whether that’s two players, whether that’s one who can do both. I think we’ll have to see how that plays out.”

 

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.