Freddy Peralta hasn’t even put on a Mets uniform yet, but already the question on everyone’s mind is whether or not he’ll be wearing one past 2026. It’s a fair question, given that this was the second time Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns has traded for the right-handed starting pitcher. The addition of Peralta changed the entire narrative of the Mets’ offseason, and his presence should be a boon to the rotation.
Sorry to disappoint, but Stearns and Peralta appear to be on the same page with this one. Their message to Mets fans: It’s too soon to say.
“You know, I just got here, and I think that I’ve got to see,” Peralta said Tuesday on a Zoom call with reporters. “I have to share time with my teammates, think about different ideas, learn about everybody — the coaches, the organization in general — and then we can see.”
The Mets acquired Peralta last Wednesday night in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, sending right-handed starter Brandon Sproat and infielder/outfielder Jett Williams to Stearns’ old team in return. The trade came just hours after the club introduced third baseman Bo Bichette in a press conference at Citi Field, and a day after a trade for Luis Robert Jr. shored up center field. It was an exciting whirlwind of a week for Mets fans, who were left reeling after losses earlier in the winter.
It also gave Peralta clarity after months of uncertainty. Immediately after the Los Angeles Dodgers eliminated the Brewers from the postseason in the NLCS, Milwaukee made it known that they would look to offload Peralta. At the top of his game with only one year left on his five-year, $15.5 million extension, the club knew it wouldn’t be able to afford him moving forward.
Much like the club did with Corbin Burnes, the Brewers traded their ace for MLB-ready talent that could help now and beyond 2026.
“I was just following the rumors and all the people talking about it every day,” Peralta said. “I was trying to avoid that, but I couldn’t because, you know, family members and everyone talking about it all the time. But I had the feeling that I was coming to the Mets organization, and I’m really happy about that.”
No offense to Bichette or Robert, whose contributions will no doubt be important on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, but Peralta was arguably the piece the Mets needed the most. They were about to head into the season with a group of starting pitchers that had largely underachieved last season. The ones who hadn’t, like converted reliever Clay Holmes and rookie Nolan McLean, were relatively unproven, coming into this season looking to build on what they did in the last one.
Peralta gives the rotation some instant bonafides, as well as leadership capabilities. A 29-year-old Dominican, Peralta is coming off the best season of his career, leading the NL in wins (17-6), with a 2.70 ERA over a career-high 33 starts and 176 2/3 innings, also a career-best mark. But as the small-market Brewers have been forced to deal their top arms over the last few years, Peralta has remained a steadying presence for the team at the top of the rotation.
“I think that I just try to be myself all the time, every day — every single day, no matter where we are,” he said. “It don’t matter if we lost or won the night before, how good or bad my game [was] the night before, or the same day. I just try to be myself, and I think that describes me a little bit. I grew up like that, trying to help people, trying to make other people feel good about [themselves], and trying to make them have a better day.
“When you pull all that together, everything goes better.”
Playing in New York will always be a question for every player until they show they can handle it, but what excited Peralta the most about coming to New York is getting to play in a city with a large Latino population, especially alongside two Latin superstars in Juan Soto (Dominican Republic), and Francisco Lindor (Puerto Rico). Peralta trains the offseason with former Yankees and Mets pitcher Luis Severino, and he’s reached out to his former Brewers teammate Tyrone Taylor to get a feel for what he’s up against.
Much like Bichette, he acknowledged that it will be a challenge, but one he’s unfazed by, at least at the moment.
There is still one item of business he has to take care of, which is deciding whether or not he’ll play in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Peralta has yet to make a decision because of “personal reasons,” but has great respect for the event.
“I think that’s probably the best feeling you can have as a player — to represent your country and try to win for your country,” he said. “That’s [a feeling] that’s going to be there forever. It’s something that nobody can change, and something that is gonna stay and go hard and be mine forever.”
Once he makes that decision, and then starts the season with the Mets, he can look ahead to the big ones.