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 prized young players 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 new-look Mets a frontline starter after their rotation faltered in the second half of a hugely disappointing 2025 season. The move came hours after New York formally introduced free agent addition Bo Bichette at a Citi Field news conference, 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 is 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.''

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.''

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.

Hard-throwing right-hander Jacob Misiorowski got called up last June and was quickly picked for the All-Star team as a rookie. He finished 5-3 with a 4.36 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 66 innings.

''We feel we have a really good core of starters to deal from,'' Arnold said. ''I still feel like we'll have a very strong rotation.''

Arnold said Sproat and Williams will compete for spots on the 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.

''He's a guy we've liked going back to the draft. He's major league ready. He's going to compete for a spot in our rotation,'' Arnold said. "This guy has incredible stuff. Very high octane, really good movement on his four-seamer and two-seamer. Really good secondary weapons and a really good changeup.''

''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.''

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 joins a Mets rotation that also includes Nolan McLean, Clay Holmes, David Peterson, Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga.

Peralta 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.

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

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