NEW YORK -- For all their movements this winter, shaking up the offensive core and bringing in a host of new players, the Mets never addressed their foremost issue from last season: their starting rotation. Until now.
The Mets completed a deal late Wednesday night for Brewers ace Freddy Peralta, a 29-year-old, two-time All-Star who produced a 2.70 ERA over 33 starts last season, as well as right-handed swingman Tobias Myers.
Peralta, who can become a free agent after this season, gives the Mets’ rotation an instant boost of credibility. He becomes their de facto ace, joining a starting unit that also includes Nolan McLean, Sean Manaea, Clay Holmes, Kodai Senga and David Peterson.
The cost was No. 3 prospect Jett Williams (MLB's No. 30 overall) and No. 5 prospect Brandon Sproat (now Brewers' No. 6), both of whom figured to play roles for the Mets in 2026. Williams is a versatile former first-round Draft pick capable of playing shortstop, second base and center field. Sproat debuted last season on the mound, posting a 4.79 ERA in four starts. Both have promising futures.
But for the Mets, who ranked 27th in rotation ERA from June 12 through the end of last season, that was a price they were willing to pay for one of the game’s best pitchers. Peralta comes at a reasonable monetary cost, due just $8 million on a club option this season, which is part of what made him so attractive to the Mets and other suitors. The other part was his skill set. Peralta features a mid-90s fastball, a changeup, a curveball and one of the game’s most devastating sliders, which he used to generate a 53.4 percent whiff rate last season.
Early in his career, health was an issue for Peralta, who started more than 25 games in a season just once from 2018-22. But Peralta has steadied himself over the last three years, averaging 32 starts and 172 innings per season with a 3.40 ERA and 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings.
In addition to Peralta, the Mets acquired Myers, a 27-year-old who relies on above-average extension and control to foil opposing hitters. Over 31 career starts and 18 relief appearances, Myers has produced a 3.15 ERA. He has five years of team control remaining and should serve in a similar swingman role with the Mets -- perhaps starting out as a reliever given New York’s plethora of rotation options.
That rotation is a grouping that, before the Peralta trade, included plenty of depth but a relative lack of ceiling. Manaea and Senga both endured injury-prone seasons in 2025, while Peterson caved in the second half. Those three and Holmes, who proved durable but unspectacular in his first year as a starting pitcher in Flushing, should all remain rotation options for Opening Day.
The potential game-changers are Peralta and Nolan McLean, the latter a rookie who had been penciled in as the Mets’ ace until Wednesday. Now, McLean figures to share that responsibility with Peralta, who has appeared in nine career postseason games, starting six. The Mets have two other young rotation options in Jonah Tong and Christian Scott, with additional prospects making their way through the farm system behind them.
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns is plenty familiar with Peralta, having overseen his career in Milwaukee from 2018-23. Much like in those years, Stearns will once again rely on the right-hander to bring him to the postseason, and perhaps carry the Mets if and when they make it there.
The Peralta trade also represents the capstone of a seismic winter for the Mets, who moved on from first baseman Pete Alonso, outfielder Brandon Nimmo and closer Edwin Díaz, replacing those longtime stalwarts with second baseman Marcus Semien, third baseman Bo Bichette, closer Devin Williams and now Peralta in the rotation.