NEW YORK -- The Cubs on Thursday acquired left-handed pitcher David Peterson from the Mets in exchange for first baseman/DH Cole Mathis (the Cubs' No. 13 prospect).
Peterson, 30, is 3-6 with a 6.09 ERA in 16 games (eight starts) covering 68 innings with the Mets this season. He's struck out 63 against 30 walks. A first-round pick by the Mets in 2017 (20th overall), Peterson has spent all seven of his seasons in Queens. He will be a free agent at season's end.
TRADE DETAILS
Cubs get: LHP David Peterson
Mets get: 1B/DH Cole Matthis (Cubs' No. 13 prospect)
The Cubs have been interested in Peterson for at least six weeks. They believe he will be a productive pitcher for them because he will have a better defense behind him. He is known as a ground-ball pitcher and the team ranks second in defensive runs saved.
Peterson’s best season in New York was in 2024, when he won a career-high 10 games with a 2.90 ERA. He was also an All-Star the following season, but faltered badly during the second half, as opposing hitters had a .291 batting average against him.
Peterson was not available for comment because he went home to pack his bags and be ready to travel with the team to Milwaukee. The Cubs play a weekend series against the Brewers.
“[Peterson] has been a really good pitcher in the big leagues,” said Jed Hoyer, the president of baseball operations for the Cubs. “He throws strikes. He keeps the ball on the ground, which is something we haven’t done particularly well. We just felt with our defense, we felt there was upside there. We field ground balls really well and he is really good at that and, hopefully, we can help him that way.”
Chicago's rotation has been hit hard by injuries. On Wednesday, they placed righties Ben Brown (neck strain) and Edward Cabrera (left hamstring/left adductor strain) on the injured list. The Cubs already have Jameson Taillon (left hamstring strain), Cade Horton (right UCL surgery) and Justin Steele (left elbow flexor strain) on the IL.
Left-hander Matthew Boyd came off the IL and pitched in Thursday’s series finale against New York.
Hoyer called the injuries challenging and is hoping the pitchers on the active roster can step up.
“It’s nice to get Peterson, but there are going to be more challenges ahead. So we have to be prepared with that,” Hoyer said. “We are talking about smaller trades, waiver wires and released players. We are looking everywhere we can to find reinforcement. We are looking everywhere we can to find reinforcements.”