Mets trade for Brewers’ ace Freddy Peralta, fill glaring rotation need

In an offseason defined by significant change, the New York Mets are completing their roster overhaul with a flourish by acquiring top starter Freddy Peralta Wednesday night in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, the club announced. In exchange for the 29-year-old, who is a free agent after the season, and reliever Tobias Myers, the Brewers are receiving pitcher Brandon Sproat and infielder Jett Williams, both top prospects. We have acquired RHP Freddy Peralta and RHP Tobias Myers from Milwaukee in exchange for RHP Brandon Sproat and minor league INF Jett Williams. Welcome to New York, Freddy and Tobias! pic.twitter.com/2svOj1XtbY — New York Mets (@Mets) January 22, 2026 Throughout the offseason, the Mets targeted a starter worthy of plugging into the top half of their rotation. Peralta deserves to reside at the top. The rest of the Mets’ rotation is set to feature Nolan McLean, Clay Holmes, Sean Manaea, David Peterson and Kodai Senga, with Jonah Tong and Christian Scott lingering as depth. Advertisement The Mets were willing to meet Milwaukee’s asking price Executives from different teams did not view the free-agent starting pitcher class as deep in quality, and Peralta represented the best trade candidate available (the Detroit Tigers are unlikely to deal ace Tarik Skubal). The price to acquire him was always going to be high. Even for just a rental, the Mets should be able to absorb the loss from their farm system, which ranks among the best. For teams interested in Peralta, the Brewers’ asking price was always multiple top-100 prospects and preferably someone who could help backfill major-league innings. The Mets were better positioned to acquire Peralta than other clubs. Their pitching development program boasts several intriguing pitchers at the upper levels of the minor leagues. The trade reunites Peralta with president of baseball operations David Stearns and assistant general manager Eduardo Brizuela, formerly two leaders in the Brewers’ front office. In 2015, during Stearns’ first year as the Brewers’ general manager, he flipped veteran Adam Lind for Peralta, who was then a little-known prospect with the Seattle Mariners. Over time, Peralta flourished with the Brewers, evolving from a one-pitch pitcher known as “Fastball Freddy” to someone who leans on a full arsenal for quality outings. Mets’ whirlwind offseason continues The addition of Peralta caps off a wild week of transactions for New York. Earlier on Wednesday, the Mets held a news conference for the signing of infielder Bo Bichette. Hours before that, on Tuesday night, they completed a deal for center fielder Luis Robert Jr. Earlier this offseason — and after moving on from franchise mainstays Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, Edwin Diaz and Jeff McNeil — the Mets added relievers Devin Williams and Luke Weaver, plus infielder Jorge Polanco and Marcus Semien. The offseason, however, would’ve felt incomplete if the Mets failed to land someone such as Peralta, given how much their rotation struggled last season. With Peralta atop the rotation, there is less of a concern for quality innings. They got the kind of pitcher they needed. Advertisement Peralta in final year of team-friendly extension Peralta should have been a free agent by now, but in March 2020 — when it was still unclear whether he would be a starter or a reliever — he agreed to a five-year, $15.5 million extension. The deal came with a pair of $8 million team options, which the Brewers have gladly exercised as Peralta has become a top-of-the-rotation bargain. When Peralta signed the extension, The Athletic wrote that his agency, Rep1 Baseball, “wasn’t too pleased with him sacrificing arbitration years for security.” Peralta is due to make $8 million again this year before becoming a free agent at the end of the season, when he’ll be 30 years old and in line for a much larger payday. In the meantime, he’s a dependable two-time All-Star being paid like the uncertain wild card he used to be. Brewers have done this before When veteran Brandon Woodruff accepted the Brewers’ qualifying offer in November, questions naturally turned to the trickle-down effect and whether Woodruff’s $22.025 million contract made it inevitable that the small-market Brewers would have to trade Peralta. Team officials insisted the two were unrelated. “Independent decisions,” president of baseball operations Matt Arnold told The Athletic, “and excited about our rotation.” However, finances have always mattered to the Brewers. According to Cot’s Contracts, the Brewers have not had a top-15 payroll in the past decade. In February 2024, they traded ace Corbin Burnes — who was on the verge of a $15.6 million salary — to the Baltimore Orioles for young starter DL Hall and infielder Joey Ortiz. Burnes was a homegrown Cy Young Award winner who, like Peralta, was a year away from free agency. The Brewers traded his final year of control for two big league-ready players: Ortiz has been a...

Mets trade for Brewers’ ace Freddy Peralta, fill glaring rotation need

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