After over a year of New York Mets fans begging for this to happen, David Stearns took a big swing for an ace. The Mets acquired Freddy Peralta from the Milwaukee Brewers late on Wednesday night, making the former Brewers ace the third marquee addition the Mets have made within the last week, with Bo Bichette and Luis Robert Jr. as the others.
It might not have been Tarik Skubal, but Peralta figures to make the Mets much better. Sure, he’s a rental, but we can worry about the 2026 offseason when the time comes. For now, the Mets are better, and we can dive into how the rest of the league looks in comparison.
Who won the Freddy Peralta sweepstakes?
- These Mets could be gone after Freddy Peralta trade
- Winners from the Freddy Peralta deal
- Losers from the Freddy Peralta deal
These Mets could be gone after Freddy Peralta trade
LHP David Peterson
San Diego Padres v New York Mets | Brandon Sloter/GettyImages
Why not begin with a hot take? It might not make much sense for the Mets to trade a starter from their projected rotation like David Peterson after making a win-now swing for Peralta, but there are a couple of reasons as to why moving him could make sense.
First, the Mets have a ton of starting pitching depth. Peralta was needed to lead the way, but depth was never an issue for the Mets.
Mets Starting Pitching Options
Hand
Freddy Peralta
Right
Nolan McLean
Right
David Peterson
Left
Clay Holmes
Right
Sean Manaea
Left
Kodai Senga
Right
Tobias Myers
Right
Jonah Tong
Right
Christian Scott
Right
Jack Wenninger
Right
There are a ton of options here. Peterson is definitely one of the best three or four starters the Mets have to offer so they shouldn’t just dump him, but knowing they have this depth, why not flip him if you can fill a different need?
Second, Peterson, like Peralta, is entering his final year of club control. Given the amount of young pitching the Mets have in their organization, the odds of Peterson remaining with the team beyond 2026 are probably slim, barring a terrific year from the southpaw. Getting something for him now before potentially losing him for nothing next offseason could make a lot of sense, again, if they can fill a hole on their roster.
LHP Richard Lovelady
New York Yankees v New York Mets | Jim McIsaac/GettyImages
Richard Lovelady was one of too many pitchers the Mets used last season, and the results were far from pretty. He had a 6.30 ERA in eight appearances with New York, allowing eight runs (seven earned) in 10 innings of work. He was probably a bit better than that ERA indicates, but he has a career 5.35 ERA in 118 big league outings. At this point, he’s nothing more than a fringe MLB reliever.
It’s also worth noting that Lovelady is out of options. He’s currently in the Mets’ bullpen picture after signing a one-year deal, but after adding Tobias Myers to the bullpen in the Peralta trade, Lovelady is probably one bullpen addition away from losing his bullpen spot. Given New York’s need to improve that area of its roster, it feels safe to say Lovelady could be DFA’d sooner rather than later.
RHP Joey Gerber
Toronto Blue Jays v Tampa Bay Rays | Julio Aguilar/GettyImages
Speaking of 40-man rosters, the Mets’ 40-man is completely full, meaning the next big-league addition they make will result in someone currently on it being removed. Assuming the Mets do make another big-league signing, one of their many fringe-40-man roster candidates will be DFA’d. My prediction for the next man up in that regard is Joey Gerber.
The Mets acquired Gerber, a 28-year-old reliever, from the Tampa Bay Rays in November. He could have some value, as many of the lesser-known pitchers David Stearns has acquired prove to have, but he also isn’t a guy the Mets will prioritize keeping on their 40-man over others who are more likely to contribute throughout the year.
Winners from the Freddy Peralta deal
New York Mets
The only way this could’ve gone better is if the Mets acquired Tarik Skubal, and that was probably never happening. Peralta might not be as good as Skubal, but he’s a clear ace, which, again, is something the Mets desperately needed. What makes this deal even better is it feels like the Mets didn’t give up all that much.
Sure, it’s two top-100 prospects, but Sproat is their third-best pitching prospect behind Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong. Williams was one of many middle-infield prospects the Mets had, and it could be argued that A.J. Ewing is more exciting. The Mets are much better, and their farm system is still quite good. It’s hard not to see them as huge winners.
Freddy Peralta
National League Championship Series – Los Angeles Dodgers v Milwaukee Brewers – Game Two | Michael Reaves/GettyImages
To be clear, this could backfire. We saw what going from a small market like Milwaukee to a big market in New York did to Devin Williams at times last season. It isn’t for everybody. Still, Peralta has quite the opportunity in front of him.
Not only is he joining a team serious about doing whatever it can to win now, but he’s joining a team in a massive market. We know Peralta can pitch well in Milwaukee, but this trade positions him to really cash in on his value. Either the Mets will extend Peralta like the ace he’s been, or if he pitches well, he’ll set himself up to potentially earn even more money than he would’ve had he stayed with the Brewers.
Brandon Sproat
As mentioned above, depth was not the issue in New York. The Mets had and still have tons of it, but they needed an ace like Peralta. Sproat was more of a depth guy, at least for this season, given the guys in front of him. He was probably their No. 7 or No. 8 starters. In Milwaukee, though, not only does he go to the organization that developed Peralta, Brandon Woodruff, Corbin Burnes and countless others, but he could have a chance to pitch right away.
Brewers Starting Pitching Options
Hand
Brandon Woodruff
Right
Jacob Misiorowski
Right
Quinn Priester
Right
Chad Patrick
Right
Logan Henderson
Right
Brandon Sproat
Right
Sproat figures to have a legitimate shot at making the Brewers’ Opening Day rotation, and even if he doesn’t, he’s probably the next man up. Sproat might be in a better position to succeed given the Brewers’ development history, and he figures to have a greater chance of pitching in the bigs sooner in Milwaukee.
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs had absolutely nothing to do with this trade yet they’re one of the biggest winners for an obvious reason: their toughest competition in the NL Central just got substantially worse.
You can certainly argue that trading Peralta was the right move for the Brewers to make, given that he was likely to leave as a free agent next offseason. However, what is inarguable is that this deal makes them worse off in 2025. That greatly benefits the Cubs, who figure to be Milwaukee’s biggest threats in the NL Central. The Cubs are in pretty good shape after adding Alex Bregman and Edward Cabrera this offseason, while the Brewers look like a much worse team than they were in 2025 after parting with their ace.
David Stearns
Philadelphia Phillies v New York Mets | Jim McIsaac/GettyImages
Just a couple of weeks ago, it felt as if David Stearns was on the hot seat. Mets fans were calling for his job every day, and understandably so, after he let key pieces like Pete Alonso, Edwin Diaz, Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil go. To say he’s turned things around this past week, though, would be an understatement.
Bo Bichette gives them the big bat they needed to complement Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor. Luis Robert gives them the center fielder they needed with a very high ceiling. Now, Peralta gives them the ace they’ve lacked for years. The Mets are probably better now than they were in 2025, and Stearns remaking the roster in his image has everything to do with that.
Losers from the Freddy Peralta deal
David Stearns doubters
To say Mets fans were down on David Stearns would be an understatement. They wanted him fired. Chances are, they probably don’t anymore. As it turns out, the offseason doesn’t end in December.
Admittedly, it did get a little hairy. It felt as if the Mets had no plan after losing Pete Alonso, Edwin Diaz, Brandon Nimmo and even Kyle Tucker. Clearly, that was not the case. Now, the Mets figure to have one of the best lineups in the National League, have one of the best rotations in the league with Peralta involved, and have even improved defensively, particularly up the middle with Marcus Semien and Luis Robert Jr.
Mets fans might not love how long it took for Stearns to get active, but this team is arguably better positioned to win games in 2026 and beyond than it was at this time last season. Ultimately, there’s a reason Stearns is as highly regarded as he is. He knows what he’s doing, and has built what should be a good team when it felt as if 90 percent of the fan base had completely counted him out.
Milwaukee Brewers fans
National League Championship Series – Milwaukee Brewers v Los Angeles Dodgers – Game Three | Sean M. Haffey/GettyImages
I can’t help but feel bad for Brewers fans who had to watch yet another All-Star depart. From Corbin Burnes to Devin Williams to Josh Hader, Brewers fans have seen countless stars get traded in recent years. Peralta is the latest of the bunch.
Again, I understand that doing this makes the Brewers better for the long run. With that being said, it’s hard to believe the team that just finished the 2025 season with the best record in baseball would willingly trade their ace set to make just $8 million this season. The Brewers were World Series contenders with the roster they had. Can anyone say this anymore?
Joey Ortiz
The pressure was already on for Joey Ortiz, the centerpiece of the Burnes trade, to produce in 2026 coming off a rough 2025. The Brewers’ best prospects, Jesus Made and Luis Pena, are both shortstops. They are also likely a couple of years away from debuting, giving Ortiz some more time to prove he should be part of the Brewers’ future. Jett Williams’ arrival in this trade changes things, though.
Williams might not be as exciting a prospect as Made or Pena, but he’s a top-100 prospect who should be MLB-ready sometime this season. Williams is also primarily a shortstop. Ortiz should still be in the lineup on Opening Day, but if he gets off to a sluggish start and/or Williams surges in Triple-A, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Ortiz lose his job in favor of Williams.
Philadelphia Phillies
Division Series – Los Angeles Dodgers v Philadelphia Phillies – Game Two | Emilee Chinn/GettyImages
The Cubs are big winners because their rivals got worse, so it only makes sense to peg the Philadelphia Phillies as clear losers of this trade. Would I rank the Mets ahead of Philadelphia in the NL East as constructed? Probably not. They still have a lot to prove, and the Phillies are back-to-back defending NL East champions for a reason. However, there’s a good chance the Mets have gotten better, and the Phillies have gotten worse.
The Phillies did re-sign Kyle Schwarber, but they’ve done little to improve on what’s been a flawed club in recent years. The Mets, meanwhile, shook things up to the point where, who knows, maybe it’ll all click and they’ll dethrone Philadelphia at the top of the NL East standings. It should, at least, be tighter. Oh yeah, the Phillies could’ve used Peralta too, whether they could’ve realistically gotten him or not.
More MLB news and analysis:
