Peralta agrees to extension with Brewers
PHOENIX - The Milwaukee Brewers decided it was time to bank on young right-hander Freddy Peralta.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic and Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported Wednesday morning the Brewers and Peralta reached agreement on a fiveyear contract extension that guarantees him $15.5 million with team options for 2025 and 2026 that could take the deal to $30 million.
The club made no announcement of the agreement but a source indicated the deal was being completed.
Peralta, 23, has already been one of the story lines of spring training, with a slider added to his repertoire that could position him for a breakthrough. He threw two scoreless innings against Seattle on Tuesday.
A five-year deal would buy out all three of Peralta's arbitration years, which don't start until after the 2021 season. The club options, if exercised, would also buy out two years of free agency.
The agreement represents the first long-term contract the Brewers have given a player who came through their farm system (though acquired from outside) since David Stearns took over the baseball operations after the 2015 season.
Prior to a team announcement, manager Craig Counsell could not talk specifically about the five-year agreement with Peralta. But he did speak on why a player such as Peralta would be a good long-term investment.
“The reason we've always been really excited about Freddy is he's so young,” Counsell said. “For me, you're always excited about the prospects, and also
have more patience, with a player who makes the big leagues at age 21. Consider all the people they have just competed against and kind of blown past, and the age of those people.
“You can say that for a lot of players. That's why you're patient with (catcher) Jacob Nottingham, because he's still a young player and he's been in these big league camps as a young player. That's the case with Freddy. He's got things to still add. There's things to learn. There's strength to add. More ways to get better for a player his age. That's what he's always shown.
“He has performed in the big leagues at times; it's kind of been flashes. But there's been big enough stretches where he's performed really well, so I think we always get excited about those players and realize there's more to come.”
Counsell said a few days ago that Peralta and left-hander Eric Lauer are competing for the fifth spot in the starting rotation behind Brandon Woodruff, Brett Anderson, Adrian Houser and Josh Lindblom. Peralta began the 2019 season in the rotation but struggled, developed a shoulder issue and then bounced back and forth from starting to relieving, as well as from the minors to the majors.
Peralta finished the season with a 7-3 record, making eight starts and 39 appearances, with 115 strikeouts in 85 innings but also a 5.29 ERA (with 37 walks and 15 homers allowed). He delivered one of the more memorable starting-pitching debuts in Brewers history with a stellar performance on Mother's Day in 2018.
In 55 career games, Peralta has a 4.79 ERA and a 13-7 record with 211 strikeouts in 1631⁄3 innings.
As far as whether Peralta fits as a starter or reliever, even with the new slider, Counsell said, “Nothing's been decided there. I don't think (adding a pitch) has anything — at last from my perspective — to do with what I'm thinking about Freddy or what role we use him in or anything like that. To me, that's a yet to be determined.
“New pitches, to me, let's just let them throw it. Let's get feedback. Even though Freddy might be a little farther than some other guys are in that process, he's not there where we're making any decisions about that.”
Counsell did make it sound as if Peralta will make the team out of camp, however, no matter the role.
“Yeah, he's a big-league player for us,” Counsell said. “That's what we told Freddy. We said, ‘Freddy, we don't know if it's going to be in the rotation or the bullpen. You're probably likely to make starts for us this year. But it's going to be in the big leagues.'”
Peralta was just 19 years old when the Brewers acquired him in December 2015 as part of a package that sent first baseman Adam Lind to Toronto. Beyond his upside as a pitcher, he already has made an impact in the clubhouse with his bubbly personality and work ethic.
“Look, from the day he stepped into a big-league clubhouse, and, really, player development fills you in about the person, it's always been the same kid, really,” Counsell said. “That hasn't changed. It's a smile, it's an inquisitive mind, it's wanting to learn.
“The big thing is if you put a smile on people's face every day, people are going to be around you. That's kind of what Freddy does, is there's a smile on your face and you're naturally bringing people in, right?”
Erceg seeking to gain traction
Barring any unexpected injuries or acquisitions, the Brewers are poised to enter the season with Eric Sogard and Jedd Gyorko splitting time at third base and Brock Holt and Ryon Healy as options to play there as well.
Had things broken a little differently over the previous few years, this might've been Lucas Erceg's shot.
A second-round pick out of Menlo (Calif.) College, Erceg appeared to have all the requisite tools to be a majorleague third baseman — a potential power bat from the left side with a decent glove and strong throwing arm.
None of those attributes have gone away in the ensuing four years.
But Erceg hasn't been able to put them all together, either. So it's looking like he'll spend a second season at Class AAA San Antonio honing his game, with 2021 now a more likely target date for his major-league debut.
“He's just not ready for the big leagues,” Counsell said. “We need more probably in every area. I think he's capable of more. He can be a little bit of a late bloomer. But he's a lefthanded bat that's shown offensive potential, and I think that's what we'd like to start see coming a little bit more.
“He's a pro; he gets that. That has not been an issue. Really, it's just on the field we need more. Need to play better. And it's still in there. He's still at a very good age.”
After hitting a combined .327 at two levels after signing in 2016, Erceg's average has dropped from .256 to .248 to .218 last season at Class AAA San Antonio, where he also hit 15 home runs, drove in 52 runs and posted an OPS of .703 over 116 games in the offensefriendly Pacific Coast League.
He did improve defensively, committing a career-low 12 errors at third.
The timing of Erceg's offensive slide couldn't have been worse, since the Brewers wound up with an acute need at third base due to the free-agent defection of Mike Moustakas as well as the departure of Travis Shaw.
So the Brewers signed Sogard on Dec. 20 and Gyorko on Jan. 14 to oneyear deals with club options. Perhaps a big season by Erceg could convince them he deserves a shot at third in 2021.
“Personally, it wasn't the season I was hoping for,” said Erceg, who turns 25 on May 1, of his 2019 season. “But I definitely learned a lot — especially being around some of the guys that were here during spring training and following in their footsteps.
“They've obviously done a lot right to get there, so for me to emulate that and be very consistent with that, I think that's going to be the biggest thing.”
Erceg has battled lower-back problems and then was hit in the head by a pitch in 2018 while at Class AA Biloxi. He's feeling better than he ever has physically this spring after his girlfriend, a pilates instructor, turned him onto the art of controlled movements.
“I think that's been very beneficial for me and just the way my body moves, just because I'm very tightly wound in my hips and my back, and that's kind of been the main issue,” Erceg said. “I'm going to continue incorporating that into my daily routine and weekly exercise regimen.
“I think it's going to be really good.” Erceg already has a homer this spring and he's flashed some major power in each of the previous two years, including a grand slam onto a roof in Goodyear in one of his first-ever Cactus League games in 2018.
Then on Wednesday, he drove in the tying run with a ninth-inning single against the San Francisco Giants in Scottsdale.
“He had some moments that were really exciting, that got everybody really excited, for sure,” Counsell said.
Another strong spring followed by a bounceback season by Erceg might get everyone excited once again and, more important, get him back into the picture at third base.
“Every year is definitely a pivotal year,” he said. “I've just got to maintain my focus on my personal goals and what I think I'm going to improve on.
“Just keep getting better. That's all it comes down to. Perfecting my craft and understanding myself as a ballplayer even more and moving forward with that in mind.”