Arguably the biggest acquisition of the New York Mets’ offseason came via trade when the team acquired two-time All-Star right-hander Freddy Peralta from the Milwaukee Brewers last month.

The Peralta deal that also included versatile righty Tobias Myers sent two of the Mets’ top prospects, right-hander Brandon Sproat and utilityman Jett Williams, to the Brewers in a league-altering move.

Advertisement

Peralta, who turns 30 in June, has been one of Major League Baseball’s most consistent and effective pitchers over the last five years, earning two All-Star appearances in 2021 and 2025. Last season, Peralta led the National League in wins (17) while posting a 2.70 ERA and 1.08 WHIP over 33 starts (176.2 innings).

Peralta’s efforts resulted in his third consecutive 200-strikeout season and a fifth-place finish in NL Cy Young voting. The ultra reliable ace will now anchor a deep Mets rotation that will likely feature five other pitchers, including rookie phenom right-hander Nolan McLean.

Peralta and McLean are projected to be the top two pitchers in the rotation, setting up a lethal one-two punch that will haunt teams all season long. But because the rotation has as many as 10 options, what will the Mets do with all these pitchers next year?

Peralta is set to hit free agency after the 2026 season and is due for a massive contract, either coming from the Mets or a different suitor. Just based on how much money the top starting pitchers have been getting in recent years, a pitcher with a resume as good as Peralta’s could command upwards of $200 million.

Advertisement

“The Mets traded two of their top prospects (Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams) to the Brewers for Peralta, giving New York the No. 1 starter it had been seeking,” MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand wrote Wednesday. “President of Baseball Operations David Stearns has not been one to sign pitchers to long-term deals, but perhaps his familiarity with Peralta — he traded for him in 2015 while running the Brewers — will be a difference-maker.”

While Stearns isn’t known for long-term pitcher deals, Peralta could be an exception if he continues to dominate opposing hitters. Mets Owner Steve Cohen is no stranger to opening his wallet, and if the Toronto Blue Jays signed right-hander Dylan Cease to a seven-year, $210 million deal with similar stats, he will have to do the same for Peralta if he wants to keep him.

The nature of the league right now suggests that there could be a lockout for next season, which will have an impact on contract extensions for all players. Teams don’t think they can compete with how the Los Angeles Dodgers are spending money, and the Kyle Tucker signing further expands that thought process for many. On paper, the Mets are one of the top teams that could dethrone the Dodgers, and if they do, that could influence whether the league enters a lockout or not.