Freddy Peralta assures that he ‘always’ saw himself as part of the New York Mets and that he is willing to negotiate a contract extension
NEW YORK — Freddy Peralta intuited provided that an exchange it was something very possible it is winter and that the New York Mets were he inexorable destiny.
“I tried to avoid it, but I couldn’t because my family and everyone talked about it all the time,” the Dominican ace said Tuesday in a Zoom presentation with the media. “But I always had the feeling I was going to the Mets.”
Peralta’s hunch came true last Wednesday, when the Mets sent pitcher Brandon Sproat and prospect Jett Williams to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for Peralta and reliever Tobias Myers.
“I’m ready for this,” said the 29-year-old right-hander. “I feel proud to be here and be part of the Mets. It’s a different market, a different city.
“A lot more fans, a lot more people watching. But, to be honest, I like the competition I’m going to have. I’ve been thinking for years about what it means to be part of a team from a big market. I’m excited to get to this team.”
The deal reunited Peralta with David Stearns, the Mets’ president of baseball operations and former Brewers general manager.
On December 9, 2015, when he was an executive in Milwaukee, Stearns made one of his most consequential transactions: he acquired Peralta, then a 19-year-old who had not pitched above the lowest level of the minors with the Seattle Mariners organization, in exchange for Adam Linda veteran first baseman/designated hitter.
“I knew something was going to happen and it was a little difficult at the same time. It was a clash of emotions because I spent my entire career in Milwaukee and I left many great memories there and where they treated me excellent,” said Peralta. “But this is a business and anything can happen.”
Peralta said that he was 11 years old when he went to his first Major League stadium. He added that he treasures the photos of the experience. It was at Shea Stadium, which was the home of the Mets until they opened the doors to Citi Field in 2009.
He had to see some Mets that had a couple of Dominicans as figures: Pedro Martinez y Jose Reyes.
“As a kid I was always a Mets fan,” he said.
The acquisition of Peralta would cap a very eventful winter in Queens. The Mets overhauled their roster, parting with lineup mainstays Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo, as well as closer Edwin Díaz.
Peralta provides New York with a clear number one in the starting rotation.
The Mets’ rotation went from strength to strength last season, in which they had the best record in the majors until June 12, but ultimately missed the playoffs.
Peralta, 29, was a National League All-Star and finished fifth in Cy Young voting last year, when he led his circuit with 17 wins and set other career highs with a 2.70 ERA in 176 2/3 innings with 33 starts. He struck out 204, six shy of his single-season record set in 2023.
Dylan Cease and Peralta are the only pitchers to make at least 30 starts and record at least 200 strikeouts in each of the last three seasons. The Mets have not had a pitcher make 30 starts in consecutive seasons since Jacob deGrom (former Cy Young) and Steven Matz did so in 2018-19. Kodai Senga, who had 202 strikeouts as a rookie in 2023, is the only New York pitcher with a 200-strikeout season since 2019.
Former reliever Clay Holmes led the Mets with 12 wins, a 3.53 ERA and 31 starts last season, one in which Holmes, Senga and David Peterson pitched at least 100 innings.
“I think that’s the most important thing for me: to be able to be healthy, to be able to be ready every five days to take the ball and go out and throw and be there for the team,” Peralta said. “That’s what I have in mind all the time: do the necessary work with the trainers physically, mentally with the coaches, take care of myself to try to be there every five days. Because I know that when you have 30 starts, ideally more than 30, something good will come out.”
He was ambivalent about participating in the World Baseball Classic to be played in March: “I don’t know if I’ll go yet, I haven’t decided yet for personal reasons. But the best feeling there is is representing the country.”
The right-hander is scheduled to make $8 million this season after the Brewers exercised their team option on the contract Peralta signed in 2020. Both Peralta and Stearns said they were willing to wait to talk about the contract.
Peralta could be one of the hottest free agents on the market next winter, especially after Cease signed a seven-year, $210 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays last month.
“I have to look around, spend time with my teammates and think about different ideas, learn about everyone, the coaches and the organization in general,” Peralta said. “Then we can see.”
