Mets stay active, bolster rotation with Freddy Peralta

Even after swooping in at the last minute to steal Bo Bichette from the Phillies, then trading for Luis Robert Jr., the Mets still had a glaring hole for 2026. With yet more activity on Wednesday, they addressed it in a big way.

They traded for ace Freddy Peralta, sending prospects Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat to the Brewers for Peralta and Tobias Myers. ESPN’s Jeff Passan was first to report those first three players’ involvement in the trade, which is already official, as announced by the Mets.

To describe the Mets’ offseason as busy is an understatement, and this is a continuation. The Mets traded Brandon Nimmo for Marcus Semien, signed Devin Williams, let Pete Alonso walk in free agency (to the Orioles), watched Edwin Díaz sign with the Dodgers, signed Jorge Polanco, let Tyler Rogers walk, signed Luke Weaver, missed on Kyle Tucker, pivoted to Bichette and traded for Robert — all before the Peralta deal.

Quantity did not necessarily correlate with quality. The offense added a lot, but it also lost a good amount, and the bullpen took a step back. But above all, the rotation was the elephant in the room: Mets starters had the fourth-fewest innings pitched in MLB last year and the fourth-worst ERA from June 12 on. Peralta offers a much-needed headliner to a group that includes Nolan McLean, Clay Holmes, Sean Manaea, David Peterson and Kodai Senga, with more depth beyond them.

Peralta is under control for just one more season (a habit of the Mets), but at only $8 million due to a woefully team-friendly extension he signed in 2020. In the five full seasons since, he’s posted a 3.30 ERA with almost 11 strikeouts per nine innings, a WHIP below 1.10 and two All-Star nods. Last year was a career-best, with a 2.70 ERA in 176 2/3 innings (his third straight season with at least 165) and a fifth-place finish in National League Cy Young Award voting.

It cost the Mets their No. 3 and No. 5 prospects in Williams and Sproat, respectively. The latter made his first four MLB appearances last season, with mixed results. The former put up an .828 OPS across Double- and Triple-A last year. Myers had a 3.15 ERA in his first two seasons, with 31 starts out of 49 appearances. He may occupy a swing role for New York this year.

The Phillies saw Peralta once last year, a two-hit, eight-strikeout, five-scoreless outing on Sept. 4. They might see him a bit more in 2026. Given the 29-year-old’s track record, it might not be particularly fun for the Phillies.