New York Mets Make Statement with Freddy Peralta Trade
The New York Mets appeared to put a bow on their transformative offseason with the blockbuster Luis Robert Jr. trade. The operative word there is "appeared," because they were actually not done making huge moves at all. They one-upped themselves.
This time, they added a premier ace in Milwaukee Brewers star Freddy Peralta. Also unlike the Robert trade, they had to go deep in their prospect pool to do it, adding a couple of top prospects. Still, it nets them a big fish.
New York Mets add crucial piece to rotation
Pitching was arguably the downfall of the New York Mets last year. They had some injuries, but outside of Kodai Senga, the rotation was not very good. They were counting on breakout candidates to continue breaking out, and it didn't happen.
In free agency, they missed out on Dylan Cease, Michael King, Ranger Suarez, and others. They did not attempt to trade for Tarik Skubal, if such a deal is even remotely possible. They also opted to pass on Framber Valdez, Zac Gallen, Chris Bassitt, and others who remain on the market. They're not as high-end as Peralta for the most part, but they're also a little less costly to add right now.
Instead, they went big with the Freddy Peralta deal. In the last few days, the Mets have totally transformed their roster while also depleting their farm system. The Peralta deal in particular hurts the minor leagues.
Jett Williams is the centerpiece here, and he immediately became the Brewers' third-best prospect. That alone is a huge addition for them. Brandon Sproat was the other addition, and he is now Milwaukee's sixth-best prospect and top pitching prospect.
"Acquiring Freddy adds another established starter to help lead our rotation," president of baseball ops David Stearns said in a statement to ESPN. "Throughout the offseason, we sought to complement our rotation with another front-end pitcher, and we're thrilled we are able to bring Freddy to the Mets."
Peralta is a rental, because he will hit free agency in 2027. This is typical of what the Brewers do. They routinely trade expiring contracts, no matter how good the player is. Ironically, they traded current Mets closer Devin Williams to the New York Yankees last year.
Why the Mets wanted this
It's simple for the New York Mets. They needed pitching badly. They lost Edwin Diaz but added Luke Weaver and Devin Williams, but they needed starters badly. Kodai Senga and friends weren't going to cut it, so they went after Peralta.
It is curious that they opted to fork over two of their best prospects for one year of Peralta (barring an extension). They could've signed Framber Valdez for more years and kept the farm somewhat stocked for the future or other trades.
Peralta is probably better than Valdez, though, and if the Mets can get an extension done, it will be worth it. Still, that's a big risk. For now, they got the ace they needed, but they will have some more worries soon if he hits free agency after this year.
Why the Brewers wanted this
The Brewers almost never extend their own stars. If they can get pieces for a player who is highly likely to walk after a season, they will. Milwaukee usually contends anyway, despite there always being a talent exodus (Corbin Burnes, Devin Williams, and now Freddy Peralta).
This time, though, it makes a lot of sense. The return for Devin Williams was not very good, but getting Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat is a massive haul for the Brewers. Ironically, Stearns worked for the Brewers before joining the Mets, and now he's poached the Brewers' best player.
