5 Astros starting pitching targets that need to be at the top of their wish list

#4 Freddy Peralta

Freddy Peralta would be a very intriguing trade target. Corbin Burnes name was thrown around quite a bit last year as a trade target, especially after the Brewers fractured their relationship in arbitration. If the Brewers did decide to move Burnes, Houston doesn't have the prospect capital to land him.

But they might for Peralta. Peralta is under contract for the 2024 season with club options for 2024 and 2025. After losing Brandon Woodruff to injury for all of 2024, and with David Stearns now calling the shots for the Mets and attempting to lure Craig Counsell, could we see the Brewers tear it down?

The Brewers will either go all-in for a piece like Pete Alonso, or look to build a true contender after coming up short so many times.

Dana Brown should be on the phone to see if he can jumpstart that process. Peralta was 12-10 with a 3.86 ERA last year, right in line with his career average of 3.83.

His second half in particular was special. Peralta, one with some funky mechanics that lead to both deception and inconsistency, found the consistency that had been lacking. He posted a 2.81 ERA in 13 second-half starts, striking out 6.44 batters per walk.

In his last four seasons, Peralta has a 3.45 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. He'd be a much needed boost in Houston's rotation. Landing an arm like Peralta for three years could give an arm like Hunter Brown the chance to continue developing out of the pen and limit his workload to keep him fresh.

Peralta would be very expensive, but some previous shoulder issues should knock the price down a bit. This would be a home run swing, but with an arms race taking shape in the AL West between Houston, Texas and Seattle, it's a swing worth taking.