Grading 4 NY Mets trade packages for Brewers ace Freddy Peralta

Six of us from the Rising Apple team have taken our shots at predicting the New York Mets' offseason, diving into everything from free-agent signings, contract predictions, departures, and trades. To that end, we're going to be following up on those predictions throughout the offseason.

One of the most common predictions was the Mets landing ace Freddy Peralta of the Milwaukee Brewers, with four of us coming up with mock trades. As one of the few who isn't projecting Peralta to land in Queens, I have no dog in this fight and therefore can evaluate these packages objectively.

All are within the realm of possibility, but some feel more likely than others, and some would sting a bit, even if it is what is necessary to land a cost-controlled front-of-the-rotation pitcher from a rival National League contender.

One more note, for the purposes of this exercise, we'll be evaluating any prospects based on MLB Pipeline's Top 30 for the Mets.

Tim Boyle's package to bring Freddy Peralta to the Mets: RHP Will Watson (No. 11), C/OF/1B Chris Suero (No. 15), OF/2B A.J. Ewing (No. 7)

Tim's package is the heftiest for Peralta, which might make it the most likely to get done. That said, as Joel Sherman pointed out when discussing the Tarik Skubal trade drama, aces in their walk years don't go for much.

A point of reference is what the Baltimore Orioles sent the the Brewers in exchange for Corbin Burnes. In that deal, infielder Joey Ortiz and lefty DL Hall went to Milwaukee, and they were ranked seventh and eighth on Baltimore's top-30.

At the time, Burnes had the more impressive resume compared to Peralta. With a Cy Young award under his belt, four other top-10 Cy Young finishes, and a 3.11 ERA in Milwaukee compared to a 3.59 mark for Peralta, he is a cut above.

Aside from the raw talent exchanging hands, Tim's package has everything the Brewers could want. First on their list is likely a high-potential young arm to develop. They're getting that in Will Watson, though, they'd likely prefer more major league-ready hurler like Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, or Brandon Sproat. Peralta isn't enough to fetch one of that trio, however.

Chris Suero and A.J. Ewing give the Brewers positional flexibility, something they covet as they proceed through their cycle of selling off pieces nearing the end of their team control to restock for the next run. Having that versatility allows them to more easily reconfigure the roster each year.

Ultimately, Tim's package is potentially a tad more than it should take, meaning it's not a slam dunk for the Mets but would be for the Brewers

Grade for the Mets - B / Grade for the Brewers - A-