The Atlanta Braves currently boast a strong pitching rotation, but a lack of depth has been an ongoing issue over the past two seasons. Persistent injuries have repeatedly left the team short on arms.
Because of this, Atlanta may aggressively explore the trade market in hopes of acquiring a marquee pitcher before Opening Day.
Just Baseball’s Jay Staph recently reveal a blockbuster deal that would bring Milwaukee Brewers ace Freddy Peralta to the Braves in exchange for prospects JR Ritchie, Alex Lodise, and Jhancarlos Lara.
“As for the Milwaukee Brewers, this is another deal where they end up getting a star-studded return,” Staph wrote. “Although it doesn’t feature two top 100 prospects like the Mets’ deal, they’ll be taking home a highly-regarded prospect in righty JR Ritchie, as well as two other solid pieces.
“Beginning with Ritchie, he’d undoubtedly be the biggest piece of this deal. He’s currently ranked as our 94th-ranked prospect, and his 2025 season was a big reason why. He refined a lot of his arsenal last year, including the ability to constantly keep the ball on the ground.”
Peralta is the perfect pitcher for the Braves to target this winter, though he sits on an expiring contract.
The Braves have the money to trade for him and sign him to a huge contract extension. But they would need to be confident in their ability to re-sign him if they’re going to include Ritchie in a potential deal.
