Pat Murphy Won’t Push for Freddy Peralta Reunion, But He’d Welcome It

Freddy Peralta walked back onto the American Family Field mound Monday night for the first time since the Brewers traded him last offseason. It didn’t go well for him. Peralta gave up seven runs on eight hits over 5.1 innings, including two home runs, and the Mets lost to Milwaukee 8-3.

The loss dropped Peralta to 5-9 with a 5.01 ERA this season. But the guy who spent eight years in Milwaukee and started on opening day for the Mets? He still has fans in the Brewers clubhouse. Including the manager.

Murphy on Peralta: ‘Anybody in baseball would want him’

When a reporter asked Brewers manager Pat Murphy if he’d push the front office to bring Peralta back before the trade deadline, Murphy didn’t bite on the front-office question. But he didn’t exactly shut the door either.

“That’s not my job,” Murphy said, according to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “My job isn’t to push anybody. Anybody in baseball would want Freddy Peralta in their clubhouse. He’s that impactful a guy.”

That’s about as close as a manager gets to saying “I’d love to have him” without actually saying it. Murphy knows Peralta’s impact from the years they worked together. Peralta went 17-6 with a 2.70 ERA last season, the best year of his career, before the Brewers moved him over the winter.

This year’s numbers aren’t pretty. A 5.01 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP don’t scream “trade target.” But a change of scenery back to a place where he’s comfortable? Peralta started his career in Milwaukee and knows the organization, the park, the fans. Sometimes that matters more than a bad half-season.

Brewers don’t need Peralta, but they could use him

Here’s the thing: Milwaukee sits at 63-37, the best record in baseball. They’re seven games up on the Cubs in the NL Central. They don’t need to make a move. But the Mets are selling, and every contender wants more pitching depth in August and September.

Adding Peralta would give the Brewers a reliable arm who knows the culture. Someone who’s been through the grind here before. Murphy knows that. He just won’t say it out loud in a press conference.

The Mets and Brewers finish their series Tuesday night. Peralta will be watching from the dugout. Whether he’s watching from the other dugout again soon is the question nobody’s answering yet.