MLB insiders list SF Giants as a potential landing spot for two-time NL All-Star

On Wednesday, Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic (subscription required) connected the SF Giants to one of the most talked-about trade candidates of the offseason. Of the list of teams thought to covet Brewers’ staff ace Freddy Peralta the most, the Orioles, Red Sox, Yankees, Astros, and your very own Giants were the five teams considered most likely to acquire his services. They added that no deal between the Brewers and any of those suitors appeared to be close.

MLB insiders list SF Giants as a potential landing spot for two-time NL All-Star

Peralta is only under team control for one more season before reaching free agency, but it’s at the highly affordable rate of just $8 million. The Brewers have a history of trading their stars, such as Corbin Burnes and Devin Williams, before watching them leave without getting anything in return. Peralta is an especially attractive target to rival teams thanks to his affordable salary and his five-year run of above-average production, culminating in an incredible career-best season in 2025.

Over 176.2 innings, Peralta notched 17 victories with the Brewers while recording a 2.70 ERA and over 200 strikeouts for the third straight season. His 5.5 bWAR on the year was easily a career best, and he finished fifth in NL Cy Young voting as a reward (one spot behind Logan Webb).

For a pitcher of Peralta’s caliber, the Brewers would be justified in demanding a haul of a return before moving him. You’d hope Bryce Eldridge would be off the table for a one-year rental not named Tarik Skubal, but the Brewers would most certainly start a conversation with him.

Posey has already swung for the fences once with a blockbuster trade for Rafael Devers, so he may have the guts to offer the kind of package his predecessor wouldn’t have been brave enough to. There’s still quite a bit of risk offering up a 1A-type prospect for a single year of a pitcher, though, and when he and Robbie Ray reach free agency at the same time next offseason, the chances are slim the Giants would be willing to re-sign both of them.

That being said, one of the offseason’s more bitter storylines has been ownership’s unwillingness to sign ace pitchers to a nine-figure deal, so Posey may have no choice but to trade for one to shore up the rotation. Any move to make the big-league club more competitive would be appreciated at this point, risks be darned.

The Giants have ceded most of the winter’s activity to more aggressive teams, like the small-market Baltimore Orioles. Their big moves so far have been for Sam Hentges, Joey Wiemer, and Daniel Susac. 95% of the proverbial heavy lifting is still left to do, and thus far the Giants haven’t even wiped off the sweat the Dodgers left on the workout bench.