Not long ago, Freddy Peralta’s name was all over summer trade chatter. The idea of the Milwaukee Brewers moving on from its longtime right-hander didn’t seem impossible, especially with the Brewers known for flipping pitching talent at peak value. Yet as September winds down, that speculation feels almost absurd. Instead of packing his bags, Peralta has positioned himself as Milwaukee’s ace of the year, and possibly the future face of the Brewers’ rotation.
Peralta’s Historic 2025 Numbers
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Peralta’s latest outing against the Los Angeles Angels pushed him to a 17–6 record with a 2.65 ERA and 195 strikeouts in nearly 170 innings. Add in a WHIP just over 1.07, and it’s clear the 28-year-old has found a new level of dominance. Five more strikeouts will give him his third consecutive 200-strikeout season, something only Corbin Burnes and Yovani Gallardo have accomplished in franchise history.
By Baseball Reference’s WAR metric, Peralta’s 2025 season ranks as the sixth-best single-season pitching campaign in Brewers history, ahead of Burnes’ Cy Young year in 2021. That’s no small feat considering the arms that have passed through Milwaukee. FanGraphs is more skeptical—slotting him outside the top 25 because of his FIP—but the results speak loudly. His ERA ranks fifth in all of baseball, and his consistency has carried a team still searching for offensive stability.
It wasn’t just a bounce-back. It was a transformation, one that has reshaped how Peralta is viewed in Milwaukee. Already the only Brewers pitcher to appear in five different postseasons, he’s on track to make it six. That longevity matters in a franchise that has seen plenty of turnover on the pitching staff.
The Ace Milwaukee Didn’t Trade
When JR Radcliffe of the Journal Sentinel broke down the best pitching seasons in franchise history, names like Teddy Higuera, Ben Sheets, Mike Caldwell, and CC Sabathia topped the list. Higuera’s 1986 campaign still stands as the gold standard by bWAR (9.4), Sheets’ 2004 season dominates the fWAR leaderboard (8.0), and Sabathia’s brief but legendary 2008 run remains etched in fans’ memories.
Peralta’s 2025 season now enters that conversation. He might not match the raw innings totals of Higuera’s heyday, or the strikeout record Sheets set two decades ago, but he’s carving his own space in Brewers history. With two potential starts left, his numbers could climb even higher.
He also has something the others don’t: he was almost traded away. Sabathia was a rental, Burnes left in his prime, and Brandon Woodruff has battled injuries. Peralta endured the speculation and responded with his best season yet, flipping the narrative completely.
It’s ironic: the same pitcher whose name floated in trade rumors all summer might be the one who defines the next chapter of Brewers baseball. While Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes remains the overwhelming Cy Young favorite, Peralta has forced his way into the discussion. More importantly, he’s given Milwaukee stability. The Brewers didn’t pull the trigger on a deal, and now they might have found the anchor of their rotation for years to come.
In a season where his peers stumbled, Freddy Peralta rose. He didn’t just pitch like an ace, he secured his place in Milwaukee’s pitching lore.
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