Peralta Trade Has Roots In 2010 Waiver Claim

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Photo via Freddy Peralta - Instagram

Freddy Peralta

Freddy Peralta

Freddy Peralta may not be with the Brewers anymore, but he’s leaving a significant legacy in more ways than one.

Before he was traded to the Mets in a four-player deal last week Peralta was one of the longest tenured employees in the Brewers organization, having joined the Brewers as a 19-year-old in December of 2015. Along the way he’s written his name in franchise history in a bunch of places: He’s third in franchise history in strikeouts (1153), eighth in pitcher wins (70) and tenth in games started (162). He holds the Brewers franchise record for career postseason starts (six) and strikeouts in an MLB debut (13) and by FanGraphs’ version of Wins Above Replacement he’s tied with Brandon Woodruff as the fifth most valuable Brewers pitcher of all time.

By trading him for two prospects, however, the Brewers also ensured that the impact of Peralta’s time as a Brewer might extend even longer. New Brewers infielder/outfielder Jett Williams and pitcher Brandon Sproat are both at least six years away from being eligible for free agency, meaning Peralta’s legacy may last all the way through the 2032 season or beyond. And thus, so does the legacy of Marco Estrada.

The Brewers claimed Estrada off waivers all the way back in February of 2010 and he got into seven MLB games that season before breaking camp with the big club as an unlikely injury replacement in the starting rotation in 2011. He pitched parts of five seasons in Milwaukee before being traded to the Blue Jays in November of 2014 for first baseman Adam Lind, who spent a single season in Milwaukee before being traded to the Mariners for three minor league pitchers, one of which turned out to be Freddy Peralta. As such, claiming Estrada off waivers planted the seed for a trade tree that might stretch into a third decade or beyond.

Here are some of the other all-time great trade trees in Brewers’ history:

J.J. Hardy

• The Brewers selected shortstop J.J. Hardy with their second-round pick in the 2001 draft, and he played parts of five seasons in Milwaukee, including a 2007 campaign where he was an All Star and hit 26 home runs.
• Following the 2009 season, however, the Brewers traded him to the Twins for outfielder Carlos Gomez. Gomez was a two-time All Star, Gold Glove winner and MVP vote recipient before the Brewers traded him to the Astros in 2015 for a four-player package including reliever Josh Hader.
• Hader, in turn, was a four-time All Star in Milwaukee before being dealt to San Diego for a package including outfielder Esteury Ruiz.
• Ruiz played in just three games as a Brewer before being dealt to (then) Oakland as the Brewers’ contribution to a three-team deal that brought William Contreras to Milwaukee.

Graeme Lloyd

• The first Australian-born player to pitch in the majors, Lloyd was a reliever for the Brewers from 1993-96 before being part of a convoluted five player deal that brought reliever Bob Wickman to Milwaukee.
• Five years and 79 saves later, the Brewers traded Wickman to Cleveland right before his All Star poster night for four players, including first baseman Richie Sexson.
• Sexson was a Brewer for four seasons and tied the Brewers’ then-franchise record with 45 home runs in 2001 and 2003 before being traded to the Diamondbacks for six players, including pitcher Chris Capuano, infielder Craig Counsell and first baseman Lyle Overbay.
• Three of the players traded in that deal were later traded again, including Overbay going to Toronto for pitcher Dave Bush, outfielder Gabe Gross and pitcher Zach Jackson.
• Jackson was later included in the 2008 trade that brought CC Sabathia to the Brewers for a legendary pennant chase.

Alcides Escobar

• Any of four players could have been the first branch on this trade tree but Escobar, who had signed with the Brewers as an amateur free agent in 2003, was the longest tenured in the organization when he, outfielder Lorenzo Cain, reliever Jeremy Jeffress and starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi were traded to the Royals for starting pitcher Zack Greinke.
• Greinke made 28 starts for the Brewers in 2011 on their way to the NLCS but when the Brewers struggled to repeat that success, they traded him to the Angels in 2012 for a package including shortstop Jean Segura.
• Segura was an All Star for the Brewers in his first full MLB season in 2013 and played more games for Milwaukee (478) than any other team in his 12-year career but before the 2016 season the Brewers traded him to the Diamondbacks for a package including infield prospect Isan Diaz.
• Two years later, Diaz had been a consensus top 100 prospect in baseball when the Brewers included him in the trade to get Christian Yelich from the Marlins.

Don Mincher

• The second overall pick in the 1968 expansion draft, first baseman Don Mincher was one of the brightest stars on the expansion Seattle Pilots, representing the new organization as their first All Star.
• Following the 1969 season, however, the soon-to-be Brewers traded Mincher to the A’s for a package including pitchers Lew Krausse and Ken Sanders.
• From there Mincher’s tree branches off in two directions: Sanders was eventually traded to the Phillies in a deal that brought Don Money to the Brewers. Money played eleven seasons in Milwaukee and was a four-time All Star.
• Meanwhile, Krausse was part of the four-player package that brought six players over from Boston, including first baseman George Scott.
• Scott won five Gold Gloves in his five seasons in Milwaukee, including the 1975 season where he led the American League in home runs. Following the 1976 season, however, the Brewers traded him back to Boston for first baseman Cecil Cooper.