Why the Yankees need to take a big swing at Freddy Peralta

After missing out on Edward Cabrera, who is headed to the Cubs instead of the Yankees, the club will need to re-group and figure out a pivot to another pitching target.

They’ve held talks with the Brewers about Freddy Peralta according to numerous reports including from Jack Curry and Chris Kirschner, and he’s the perfect arm for them to land.

Arguably the best pitcher who could end up changing teams this winter, Peralta would give the Yankees a frontline starter in a rotation that seriously lacks depth and security

While Cody Bellinger coming back is ideal, and you could argue it would make it easier to trade for a starter, Freddy Peralta should be considered the most importance piece of them all for the Yankees.

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Freddy Peralta Directly Addresses the Yankees’ Most Pressing Issue

Over the last three seasons, Freddy Peralta has recorded at least 30 starts and 200 strikeouts, providing the kind of value that would elevate this rotation to another level.

He’s not a frontline ace the way that Tarik Skubal is, but he’s been the Game 1 starter for back-to-back division winners, which is a nice feather to have in your cap.

The Brewers would have every reason to just hold onto him and wait for the Qualifying Offer pick that comes with losing him on the market, so they’ll need a strong prospect package to get a deal done.

Chris Kirshner of The Athletic reports that the Brewers are looking for a “major-league-ready” starter in this deal, and that’s where one of Will Warren or Elmer Rodriguez could be become a big part of this conversation.

While I hold both Rodriguez and Warren in fairly high regard, I’m not entirely sure how I could justify not trading either arm to get Peralta on this roster.

This does kind of work against the purpose of making a trade, which is bolstering the depth chart which currently lacks a reliable no. 6 starter option.

You could always sign a Minor League free agent such as Carlos Carrasco a year ago to add some more depth, and if Elmer Rodriguez is the arm being replaced, this is less of a hit to the immediate depth.

Rodriguez might not be ready for the Major Leagues when camp breaks, so considering part of the mix that you can bet on for support when the season begins is a bit idealistic.

The Yankees want to add another starting pitcher, both Joel Sherman (New York Post) and Chris Kirschner (The Athletic) have reported that in the last week.

With that knowledge in mind; why not shoot for the best pitcher available and make a statement to baseball that the Yankees are the team to beat in the American League?

Hal Steinbrenner’s Yankees have become the butt of many jokes this winter; they got stomped in the American League Division Series and find themselves rather unresponsive.

North of the border, the Blue Jays have been aggressive, refusing to settle for a near-victory in the World Series and eyeing Kyle Tucker as their final piece to this meal they’ve prepared in free agency.

A counterargument is that there isn’t as much for the Yankees to do outside of bringing back Cody Bellinger, but shouldn’t a perception internally that this roster is good make them more aggressive to get those pieces?

FanGraphs projects the Yankees to make the postseason and betting odds share a similar view, the Yankees are not alone in their belief that they’re a playoff team as things stand right now.

Imagine a team with an already-high chance of making the postseason adding Freddy Peralta to the top of its rotation and Cody Bellinger to its outfield?

Finish that offseason off with a quality reliever, and you are suddenly looking at a team that could be better than the Blue Jays in some projection systems even if they were to add Kyle Tucker.

Having a perceived overpay to address a need in a contention window is not nearly as bad as doing nothing to address said contender’s flaws; they did this with third base last season and lost the division as a result.

If the Yankees are going to be over that fourth threshold (which is their intent given their Cody Bellinger pursuit), then you need to maximize that window and push all the chips in, or else 2026 will result in another early October exit.