When the Milwaukee Brewers take the field on Friday against the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 of the 2026 World Series, there's a good chance they'll see an old friend on the other side staring back at them.

Freddy Peralta made his big league debut with the Brewers back in 2018 and spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Brewers before being traded to the New York Mets ahead of the 2026 season. Peralta was traded once again before the 2026 trade deadline and now is a member of the Rays, the American League representative in the World Series. It certainly was bittersweet for the Brewers to cut ties with Peralta last offseason and there were even rumors about the idea of reuniting ahead of the trade deadline. But the Rays landed him. Now, he's going to help the Rays try to take down Milwaukee.

Unsurprisingly, Peralta had nothing but good things to say about Milwaukee after advancing to the World Series on Monday, as transcribed by Cameron Ezeir of CBS 58 News.

"They’re amazing in general and I’m happy to go there. I don’t know how the fans are going to take it, but I’m happy to go there," Peralta said. "I have a lot of people that I love over there, that care about me and I’m happy to be there and be able to compete together and take a lot of pictures and videos because it’s something that probably won’t happen again. ... “Milwaukee is the team that gave me the opportunity to make my dream and Milwaukee will always be in my heart."

The Brewers Will Face Off Against Freddy Peralta

Peralta struggled as a member of the Mets in 2026, but completely flipped a switch once he was dealt to Tampa Bay. Peralta logged a 3.25 ERA in 10 starts for the Rays down the stretch en route to the playoffs. He has been even better since the postseason began. In four appearances, Peralta has logged a 1.08 ERA in the playoffs, to go along with a 12-to-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 16 2/3 innings pitched. Peralta also won the 2026 American League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award.

In a perfect world, Peralta would've been a member of the 2026 Brewers and would've been a part of this run to the World Series. But that isn't the case. It's ironic that he's going to be on the other side as Milwaukee attempts to win its first World Series title in franchise history. Unfortunately, that is not the case, though.

The Brewers traded Peralta and Tobias Myers in exchange for Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat before the 2026 season. Peralta was a year away from free agency and he's going to land a deal this winter that pays him very well. Potentially even in the nine-figure range. Because of that, the Brewers invested in the future. It's how the Brewers have gotten here in the first place. Look at this team and throughout the minors. The Brewers always are thinking about the present and the future at the same time. It's what you have to do when you don't spend at the same levels as teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers or New York Yankees. You have to be more strategic and the Brewers are the best of the best in that vein.

Later this week, the Brewers will face the Rays in the World Series. It's a matchup that nobody saw coming. But here we are. We will have a new World Series winner as neither Milwaukee nor Tampa Bay has hoisted the trophy before. Either the Brewers will take it home, or their old friend will.