The New York Yankees are one of the better teams in baseball this season. They’re led by superstar, All-World outfielder Aaron Judge, who’s in the middle of another historic season. Any year that Judge is healthy and thriving, the Yankees are contenders. But this season, they’re going to need to add some pitching if they want to make a real run at the World Series.

Starting pitching is the biggest hole on the Yankees’ roster, but there are a lot of options on the trade market. While pitchers like Dylan Cease and Michael King of the San Diego Padres or Sandy Alcántara of the Miami Marlins might be enticing, there’s a better option on the board for the Yankees to go after.

Freddy Peralta is the dream trade deadline addition for the Yankees

FanSided’s MLB insider, Robert Murray, recently suggested the Milwaukee Brewers could use their ace, Freddy Peralta, as a trade chip this season. Murray didn’t specifically link Peralta to any team, but the Yankees could emerge as a perfect suitor.

“The Milwaukee Brewers traded Josh Hader with 1.5 years remaining on his contract,” Murray wrote. “They traded Corbin Burnes and Devin Williams with a year left on their contracts. So it’s not out of the question that the Brewers could entertain the possibility of moving Peralta, who has a very affordable $8 million club option for the 2026 season.”

The Brewers aren’t guaranteed to shop Peralta this season, but if they do, the Yankees are a very obvious landing spot to look into.

On the season, Peralta holds an incredible 2.77 ERA in 12 starts while being worth nearly 2.0 WAR. He routinely averages over 10 strikeouts per nine innings while limiting hits. This season, Peralta holds one of the best ERA+’s of his career. To make matters better for an acquiring team, the righty has a club option worth just $8 million next season, making him quite affordable for this season and next.

The Yankees desperately need to address their rotation. Will Warren is one of the spottier starters in the league, sometimes dealing a gem while other times he’s uncompetitive. Luis Gil is still recovering from a lat injury. Gerrit Cole is going to miss the entire season. Max Fried and Carlos Rodon have been incredible this year, but the rest of the rotation has left quite a bit to be desired. If New York can add Peralta to its rotation, it would have one of the better top three pitching trios in baseball.