Dodgers could have wrecked Mets' Freddy Peralta trade but there's a larger goal

Reports over the last week suggested the Los Angeles Dodgers were making an effort to trade for Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta, but Andrew Friedman seemed to throw cold water on that idea during Kyle Tucker's introductory press conference. Turns out Friedman wasn't lying, as hours after he downplayed the Dodgers' interest in starting pitchers, Peralta was traded to the New York Mets.

Any time there has been a starting pitcher traded this offseason, it seems to be a referendum on where things stand with the Detroit Tigers and Tarik Skubal, a situation that could explain why the Dodgers steered away from Peralta trade talks.

Clearly, trading Peralta to a National League contender wasn't something the Brewers were concerned with. After being eliminated by the Dodgers in the NLCS last season, the idea was that Milwaukee didn't want to trade their ace to the team they are trying to beat.

If that was the logic, they wouldn't have traded Peralta to the Mets. After a strange start to the offseason, New York has been aggressive over the past month, signing Bo Bichette while trading for both Peralta and outfielder Luis Robert Jr.

Tarik Skubal's uncertaint Tigers' future likely was why the Dodgers avoided trading for Freddy Peralta.

The Mets paid a steep price for one season of Peralta. Shortstop Jett Williams is among the best prospects in baseball, and Brandon Sproat was one of their top pitching prospects.

The Dodgers certainly could have topped the offer from the Mets, but they likely are in a holding pattern when it comes to additions to their starting rotation. As it stands, LA does not need another starting pitcher. They have enough pitchers to assemble a starting rotation, and even more depth to move to a six-man rotation if needed.

Sure, Peralta would have looked good in a Dodgers uniform, but there was no need to escalate to that level yet. Especially when there remains a chance that the Tigers make Skubal available before the trade deadline in July.

If even the tiniest ounce of hope remains for the Dodgers to land Skubal before he hits free agency next offseason, they are going to keep that door open. That means holding onto their prospect capital and not jumping when fallback options like Peralta are made available.

As has been the case since the offseason started, the Dodgers are best equipped to land Skubal, and it may only be a matter of time.