Mets acquire ace pitcher Freddy Peralta from Brewers in trade

NEW YORK — The active New York Mets acquired ace pitcher Freddy Peralta and right-hander Tobias Myers from Milwaukee on Wednesday night in a trade that sent two top prospects to the Brewers.

Milwaukee received pitcher Brandon Sproat and minor league infielder/outfielder Jett Williams. Both were rated among the game's top 100 prospects by Baseball America.

Peralta gives the Mets a frontline starter after their rotation faltered in the second half of a disappointing 2025 season. The move came hours after New York formally introduced free agent addition Bo Bichette at Citi Field, and one night after the team obtained talented center fielder Luis Robert Jr. in a trade with the Chicago White Sox.

''Acquiring Freddy adds another established starter to help lead our rotation,'' Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said in a statement. ''Throughout the offseason, we sought to complement our rotation with another front-end pitcher, and we're thrilled we are able to bring Freddy to the Mets.''

Peralta went 17-6 with a 2.70 ERA in 33 starts last season, when he led the National League in wins and finished fifth in Cy Young Award voting. He struck out 204 batters in 176 2/3 innings and earned his second All-Star selection.

The 29-year-old Peralta hasn't been on the injured list since 2022, when the right-hander was sidelined by a strained lat and later elbow inflammation. He's set to make $8 million this season and can become a free agent following the World Series. He is the latest former Brewers player acquired by Stearns, who ran Milwaukee's front office from 2015-23.

''He obviously knows the players well. Look, he and I have worked very well together for many, many years. I obviously care about him a lot," Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold said. "Today's his anniversary and I was at his wedding. We go back a long way. I think I might have ruined his anniversary dinner. Look, he's a dear friend. Hopefully, again, these are the types of trades that work out for both guys.''

''Over the past two seasons, Tobias has become an extremely valuable major league pitcher,'' Stearns said. ''His ability to pitch out of both the rotation and bullpen allows him to help our team in multiple ways. His addition adds another quality, young, major league arm to our organization.''

Peralta's departure marks the third straight offseason in which the cost-conscious Brewers have traded a star pitcher entering the final year of his contract.

Two years ago, they dealt 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes to Baltimore for infielder Joey Ortiz and left-hander DL Hall. Last winter, the Brewers sent two-time All-Star reliever Devin Williams to the New York Yankees for left-hander Nestor Cortes and third baseman Caleb Durbin.

''These decisions are always tough," Arnold said. "We loved having Freddy Peralta here and everything he meant to this franchise. I just had an emotional call with him. He means a lot to us and he's always going to be part of our Brewers family. Same thing goes for Tobias Myers.''

Burnes and Williams both spent just one season with the teams that acquired them from Milwaukee before signing elsewhere in free agency. Burnes agreed to a $210 million, six-year contract with Arizona before the 2025 season, and Williams signed a $51 million, three-year deal with the Mets last month.

The Brewers also should get a full season from flamethrowing right-hander Jacob Misiorowski as they chase a fourth straight NL Central crown. Misiorowski got called up last June and went 5-3 with a 4.36 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 66 innings, earning an All-Star Game selection as a rookie.

"I still feel like we'll have a very strong rotation,'' Arnold said.

Peralta is 70-42 with a 3.59 ERA and 1,153 strikeouts in 931 innings over eight major league seasons, all with Milwaukee. He ranks second in the majors with 40 wins since 2023. He and Dylan Cease are the only two pitchers with at least 200 strikeouts in each of the past three years.

Arnold said Sproat and Williams will compete for spots on the Brewers' opening-day roster.

The 25-year-old Sproat made his major league debut in September and went 0-2 with a 4.79 ERA in four starts for the Mets, who selected him in the second round of the 2023 amateur draft from the University of Florida. He was rated the fifth-best prospect in New York's system by MLB.com.

The 5-foot-7 Williams, 22, batted .261 with 17 homers, 34 doubles and 52 RBIs in 130 games combined at Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse last year. He was drafted No. 14 overall by the Mets in 2022 out of high school in Texas and was their third-rated prospect, according to MLB.com.

''This kid's a gamer. He's not that big, but I can tell you he plays with a ton of heart and he's got incredible tools,'' Arnold said. "He's one of the fastest players in the minor leagues. I think his versatility is something that's going to fit very, very well for this team.''

To open space on their 40-man roster, the Mets designated right-hander Cooper Criswell for assignment.

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AP Sports Writer Steve Megargee in Milwaukee and AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report.