While typical Brewers front office caveats apply — they’re never going to say no to conversations on any player — general manager Matt Arnold indicated July 18 ahead of his team’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers that he has every expectation that Peralta is still taking the ball in a Brewers uniform after the deadline.

Still, Peralta is the type of pitcher any club would feel comfortable starting in a playoff game, and he would be Milwaukee’s top starter for heading into what the team hopes will be another dose of October baseball. As deep as the Brewers’ rotation may be, it would suddenly look a lot thinner without Peralta stabilizing things up top.

The Brewers have been playing great baseball, but expecting them to sweep the Dodgers twice in one month is too much (L.A. is 33-19 at home). Will Smith has destroyed left-handed pitching (179 wRC+), and Shohei Ohtani has been adept at punishing pitchers of either hand, so both are likely to play a part if the Dodgers score runs in bunches.