Category: MLB

From the depths of December to the jolt of activity over the last five days here in January, David Stearns turned a disappointing offseason into one that offers reason for even the most disgruntled fans to believe 2026 could be a good year, after all.

With the trade for top starter Freddy Peralta from the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night, Stearns made what is likely to be his last high-impact acquisition of the winter, and in doing so obtained the top-of-the-rotation starter the Mets desperately need to be considered genuine contenders again.

On the heels of the signing of Bo Bichette and the trade for Luis Robert Jr., the Peralta deal completes a whirlwind week for Stearns that changes the perception of the offseason and presumably makes it safe for him to go out for dinner in the big city without being heckled by Mets fans.

Noticed I said presumably.

Hey, I get it, there are still going to be fans out there who aren’t happy with Stearns, and to some degree Steve Cohen, for essentially cleaning house and allowing Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz to walk away while also trading Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil.

In the case of Alonso, especially, it will be fascinating to see whether Stearns was right in choosing not to offer him more than a three-year deal, as well as how much the Mets will miss his power bat in trying to win a championship over the next few years.

But what’s more relevant at the moment is that, after a seemingly endless wait this offseason, at least Stearns made the big-splash moves that should ensure the Mets of being contenders next season. Actually, they should be talented enough to battle the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves for the NL East title if they get some key turnarounds from veteran pitchers to go with Peralta and Nolan McLean.

So why now? Why the sudden flurry of activity? Was it simply the market moving to an inevitable conclusion for the likes of Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger that led to the signing of Bichette and the trade of Robert Jr.?

Or, to put it another way, was this always the plan, waiting to mid-January to throw huge money at the likes of Tucker and Bichette, or did the outrage of Mets fans over losing Alonso and Diaz reach such a crescendo that Cohen, in particular, decided he needed to react and flex his financial muscle to stem the tide?

“Steve can certainly be reactive to situations like that,” said one person who knows Cohen on a personal level, more as the hedge-fund billionaire. “He’s very aware of public perception in everything he does.”

So it’s possible he ordered the Code Red, if you will, that finally jump-started the Mets’ offseason. Yet, to be fair, it’s also possible that the timing of the big moves coincided with Stearns’ plan to wait for the prices on both free agents and trades to fall enough to warrant sudden activity.

“The offseason has a life of its own,” was the way an executive from another team put it Wednesday night. “I’d lean toward believing the Mets waited until they felt the time was right, and then one move leads to another move and so forth.”

Whatever the impetus, the additions of Bichette, Robert Jr., and Peralta all filled important needs for the Mets and are impactful enough to make the case that the Mets now have a better team than they did before this offseason began.

For that matter, with Bichette being introduced at Citi Field on Wednesday, some 12 hours after Stearns swung the deal to gamble on Robert Jr.’s high ceiling in center field, Stearns decided to have a Michael Corleone kind of day and settle all family business of sorts by making the trade for Peralta on Wednesday night.

Again, why now? Was it because he decided Framber Valdez wasn’t going to settle for a high-AAV, three-year deal?

Were the Brewers running out of suitors and thus lowered their asking price on Peralta?

“The Mets weren’t giving up (Brett) Baty, I can tell you that,” one person close to the deal said. “That may have been a sticking point at least for a while.”

Whatever, in giving up Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams, the Mets still paid a high price, considering they’re only guaranteed one year of Peralta, who can be a free agent next winter -- though they also received Tobias Myers, who should be a useful bullpen arm.

And while it could give the Mets a chance to lock up Peralta to a long-term deal if he adapts to New York and is pitching well next season, he could also be something of an afterthought in that regard if the Mets decide they’re going all-in on Tarik Skubal.

Still, I think Stearns made the right move. Jonah Tong has a higher upside than Sproat and was likely more desired by the Brewers, and while Williams is a blue-chip prospect, he doesn’t have anywhere to play in the Mets’ infield, where he is considered best-suited. Especially since the Mets see Baty as a valuable utility man, having proven athletic enough to play second base last season, even while blossoming into a very good third baseman.

And finally, while Stearns surely was all business in making the trade, you couldn’t blame him if he has a soft spot for Peralta. In his first trade as Brewers GM, in December of 2015, Stearns dealt veteran first baseman Adam Lind to the Seattle Mariners for a package of young players, including Peralta, then a 19-year-old in rookie ball.

He was a lottery ticket then who paid big dividends for the Brewers, and now Stearns brings him to the Mets with high expectations. At age 29, turning 30 next June, Peralta is coming off the best season of his career, as he pitched to a 2.70 ERA and threw a career-high 176.2 innings over 33 starts.

That averages out to 5.1 innings a start, which is the only knock against him, according to one scout I spoke to.

“His fastball is electric and he can dominate any lineup when he’s commanding his off-speed stuff to go with it,” the scout said. “But he needs to go deeper into games to really be an ace. He tends to be a little too fine at times and because of that, his pitch count elevates. But he’s also a guy you feel good about putting out to start a postseason game.”

Playoffs? Did he say playoffs?

A week ago, many Mets fans were bracing for the worst next season, convinced Stearns’ value-driven approach would doom them to fourth place in the NL East.

And there are still plenty of questions about the ’26 Mets, to be sure. But I have to believe most fans are now willing to give Stearns -- and Cohen -- credit for turning the offseason of dismay into at least some level of success.

Begrudgingly or otherwise.

The Milwaukee Brewers have traded pitcher Freddy Peralta to the New York Mets for a pair of top prospects.

The addition of Peralta adds an ace to the Mets' pitching rotation and the move is expected to help keep New York competitive in the National League East, after finishing 13 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the top spot in the division in 2025.

The Mets' pitching staff showed early signs of dominance in 2025, leading the league with a 2.32 ERA ... before the team collapsed in the second half and missed the postseason with an 83-79 record.

The team finished out the final 92 games with a 38-54 record. Kodai Senga dealt with injuries, which limited his availability. Clay Holmes made the transition to a starter after spending time coming out of the bullpen.

Well options are beginning to dwindle for the Braves to add another impact player this offseason. They have a stated desire to add to their starting rotation and Framber Valdez is still out there on the market (though would cost a draft pick to sign), but the market has been moving for the last couple weeks and Spring Training is rapidly approaching. There are still options on the trade market and that has perhaps felt like the area that Anthopoulos would make his move. Freddy Peralta is no longer available, as he was sent to the Mets, but there are a number of other options of varying qualities that could be had on the trade market.

Braves News

We heard from Andruw Jones after he reached the voting threshold to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

MLB News

The Mets traded two top 100 prospects for one year of Freddy Peralta from the Brewers. While this should meaningfully help the Mets this year, that’s a pretty wild package for one year of a good but not elite pitcher, even on an incredibly cheap contract.

The Yankees re-signed Cody Bellinger to a large 5 year deal with opt-outs.

The Angels re-signed Yoan Moncada to a 1 year, $4 million deal.

The MLB owners will reportedly make a very strong push for a salary cap this upcoming CBA negotiation, but there is substantial skepticism that they will get it or that games will be missed.

FanGraphs | Ben Clemens: By now I’m sure you know that Cody Bellinger is staying in the Bronx, with a cool five-year, $162.5 million deal. The reunion with the Yankees felt near-inevitable with, with such a glaring hole in the club’s construction and Bellinger unable to get someone to stretch his deal out to six or seven years. The Yankees retain a strong floor for 2026, even if the ceiling of the team is up for debate.

New York Daily News | Peter Sblendorio: For more details on the Bellinger deal, look no further. It’s far from a standard MLB deal, with a pair of opt outs and a $20 million signing bonus that works as essentially an insurance policy should we see baseball games lost to 2027 labor strife. Bellinger’s now the third-highest paid Yankee, and the appropriate pressure will no doubt be felt. For the team, the estimated total payroll for 2026 is now $317 million, the third-highest in baseball after the Dodgers and Mets (whose payroll rose again at least a bit after trading for Freddy Peralta), or about $10 million more adjusted for inflation than the 2009 championship team’s player expenses.

New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: In other news, Andy Pettitte saw his Hall of Fame vote share jump significantly this time around, his eighth time on the ballot. The longtime Yankee lefty received votes on 48.5 percent of submissions, the fourth-highest vote total behind inductees Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones, as well as Chase Utley. This represents a 20-point jump over Andy’s 2024 vote count, and with two more years of eligibility remaining, there’s still a real chance the five-time World Series champion sees himself in Cooperstown.

Baseball America: BA is out with their top 100 prospect list, considered by many to be the most reliable compendium of future MLB stars. Four Yankees find themselves in the rankings, with George Lombard Jr. atop the team’s table at No. 46 overall. Elmer Rodriguez, who we will likely see with the big league club at some point in 2026, is ranked 59th, with 2025 first-rounder Dax Kilby at 61st, and right-hander Carlos Lagrange just making the cut at 96.

It’s Wednesday evening here at BCB After Dark: the coolest spot for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. We’re so glad you decided to stop by. Come on in out of the cold. There’s no cover charge this evening. We still have a few tables available. The hostess can lead you to your table. Bring your own beverage.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

Last night I asked you about infielder/left fielder Miguel Andujar, who was linked to the Cubs in at least one report. I was pretty skeptical about signing him (even though I think he’s a solid player) because I didn’t see the fit. The majority of you agreed, as 68 percent of you were against the idea.

Here’s the part with the music and the movies. The second round of the BCB Winter Science Fiction Classic is coming to a close. But as always, you’re free to skip ahead to the baseball stuff at the end. We’re OK with that.

For those of you who like showtunes, tonight we have vocalist Jordan Fisher performing “Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Emmet Cohen is on piano. Peter Martin plays keyboards, Tivon Pennicott is on tenor sax, Yasushi Nakamura is the bassist and Joe Farnsworth is on drums.

(Fun fact: My wife hates that movie. She hated it as a child and she hates it today. Her well-meaning sister gave her a blu-ray copy of it for Christmas one year and she had to pretend that she liked it.)

This is a brand new video released just yesterday.

You voted in the BCB Winter Science Fiction Classic and there are a lot of Star Trek fans among my readers. I guess there are a lot of Star Trek fans among people who write here as well. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan advanced over the number-one seed, Blade Runner. As I had written, Blade Runner is the one film that gets mentioned most often as the best science fiction film of all time if you don’t pick 2001: A Space Odyssey. But you like Kirk, Spock, McCoy and especially Ricardo Montalban as Khan.

Tonight we are going to the final quadrant of our tourney, the “modern” bracket, to finish out the second round. Number-two seed Brazil (1985) goes up against Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991).

2. Brazil. (1985) Directed by Terry Gilliam. Starring Jonathan Pryce, Robert De Niro and Katherine Helmond.

Here’s what I wrote last time about Brazil.

3. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). Directed by James Cameron. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton and Robert Patrick.

Here’s what I wrote last time about Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Both films are terrifying in their own way. Brazil scares me with its portrait of a totalitarian world where the rich live lives of pointless conspicuous consumption. The rest of us live in a world desensitized to the capricious violence and cruelty of the state and that the only way to survive is to remain as anonymous as possible.

While I’m not worried about time-traveling killer robots, I sure as heck am worried about the artificial intelligence future that created the nightmare future of Terminator 2.

So now it’s time to vote.

You have until Monday to vote. Coming up on Monday is the final matchup of the second round, where The Matrix takes on Back to the Future.

Welcome back to everyone who skips the music and movies.

Earlier this week I asked you if you thought the Cubs should improve their pitching depth by signing Zac Gallen. I suppose it’s not quite right to say that Gallen would “improve depth” because he’d probably be one of the better pitchers in the rotation. But it would mean that other pitchers would move down the pecking order and provide more depth.

One pitcher on the free agent market who would improve the Cubs’ depth but has gotten very little attention for some reason is right-hander Chris Bassitt. Bassitt has been as solid of a pitcher over the past five years that you could ask for. He just finished a three-year, $63 million deal with the Blue Jays where he made over 30 starts every year and pitched over 170 innings every year. He posted a Fangraphs WAR of between 2.3 and 2.6 in all three seasons with the Blue Jays. In fact, according to Fangraphs, Bassitt has had a WAR above two in every season since 2019, not counting the shortened 2020 season. But he pitched well in 2020 too.

I haven’t heard the Cubs connected to Bassitt at all, but I have heard people arguing that Bassitt is a better pitcher than Zac Gallen. He did indeed have a better 2025 season than Gallen, although we’ve been over that 2025 may be an outlier bad year for Gallen. Bassitt also is a more extreme ground ball pitcher, which plays in to the Cubs strong infield defense. He probably would also cost a lot less than Gallen.

I’ll add that Bassitt pitched very well in the postseason last year for the Blue Jays as well.

So why is Gallen so much more highly regarded that Bassitt? For one, age is a huge factor. Bassitt is heading into his age 37 season whereas Gallen is going into his age 30 season. As he ages, Bassitt’s fastball velocity is dropping. He only averaged 91.4 miles per hour on his fastball last season, which is down from 92.7 the year before and definitely down from the 94 mph or so he threw when he was young.

Bassitt also struggles with left-handed pitching a lot more than Gallen does. While their overall results are similar, Bassitt is the type of pitcher you might want to skip against a lefty-heavy lineup. However, since the Cubs have several good left-handers, that might not be as big of a problem for the Cubs.

Bassitt also has some experience pitching out of the pen, so if he’s not one of the top five or six starters on the Cubs, he could become a long man in the bullpen.

So basically, Bassitt would serve as an upgrade on Colin Rea, if you think he’s better than Colin Rea.

Bassitt’s age actually plays in well for the Cubs in that he’s probably not going to get more than a one-year deal at this point. I’m proposing a one-year, $17 million deal for Chris Bassitt? If you were running the Cubs, would you make that offer?

Thank you for stopping by tonight and all week. We really appreciate your patronage. Please get home safely. Stay warm out there. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again next week for more BCB After Dark.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Padres fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

The worst kept secret of the offseason is the San Diego Padres do not want to add significant money to their payroll. Reports surfaced after Nolan Arenado was traded from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Arizona Diamondbacks the Padres were involved in the trade discussions for the third baseman, but they wanted the Cardinals to pay more of Arenado’s salary. The Diamondbacks will pay him $11 million for the next two seasons.

It was recently reported that San Diego president of baseball operations and general manager A.J. Preller was considering additions to his roster but was not ready to make a move. At the time the thought was Preller was waiting for the asking prices of free agents to drop and/or he needed to trade away some of the money already on the roster to create financial flexibility. We may never know what he was waiting for, but we can speculate.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athleticreported earlier this week that some potential free agent pitchers the Padres might target are Lucas Giolito, Nick Martinez or Justin Verlander. An addition of one of those players is not going to send the Friar Faithful into a frenzy, but it may be all we have to look forward to.

Lucas Giolito

Giolito is a 6-6, 245-pound 31-year-old right-hander from Southern California. Maybe he wants to return home and pitch close to family and friends in San Diego. He spent the 2025 season with the Boston Red Sox and pitched in 26 games, finishing with a 10-4 record with a 3.41 ERA over 145.0 innings. Giolito spent the bulk of his major league career with the Chicago White Sox and holds a career 4.30 ERA. It should ne noted that Giolito did not pitch in 2024 because he had surgery to repair his right elbow ulnar collateral ligament in March of that year.

Nick Martinez

Padres fans are very familiar with Martinez, 35, and what he can bring to the rotation. He spent two years in San Diego in 2022 and 2023 before signing with the Cincinnati Reds as a free agent. He spent 2024 and 2025 with the Reds and threw 165.2 innings. He appeared in 40 games and 26 of those were starts. Martinez finished 11-14 with a 4.45 ERA. Preller does not typically bring former players back, unless it’s in a front office or coaching role as we have seen with manager Craig Stammen or developmental coach Wil Myers, but considering the need for pitching he might make an exception with Martinez.

Justin Verlander

Verlander and his career speaks for itself. He is a sure-fire Hall of Famer and despite being 42 years old, he still wants to pitch and keeps getting opportunities. Verlander spent 2025 with the San Francisco Giants and started 29 games. He finished with a 3.85 ERA over 152.0 innings, but his final record of 4-11 was not what you expect from a player of his stature. Of course, wins and losses are not solely on the pitcher, so perhaps a season in San Diego with a solid defense behind him would flip the record.

If we are to believe the reporting of Rosenthal, which I will admit is difficult to do due to his constant praise for the Los Angeles Dodgers and his unconfirmed disdain for the Padres, which one of Giolito, Martinez or Verlander would you, the readers of Gaslamp Ball, want San Diego to sign?

Results of the poll will be published later this week.

David Stearns said early Wednesday that he was still looking to acquire a frontline starter this offseason. 

Just hours later, the Mets' President of Baseball Ops was able to deliver. 

According to SNY analyst and SiriusXM's Jim Duquette, Stearns was considering multiple options, but talks heated up with his old club, and he was able to complete a deal to bring ace RHP Freddy Peralta from Milwaukee to Queens.

He had to pay a hefty price with top prospects Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat heading to the Brewers, but it’s certainly worth it to acquire one of the top arms available on the trade market.

“Acquiring Freddy brings another established starter to help lead our rotation,” Stearns said in a statement. “Throughout this 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 is coming off one of the best seasons of his career, in which he finished fifth in National League Cy Young voting after leading the league in wins (17) and finishing fourth in ERA (2.70). 

The two-time All-Star has made 30+ starts each of the past three seasons. 

And he isn’t the only piece being acquired in the deal.

The Mets were also able to grab an intriguing arm with control, bringing in RHP Tobias Myers, who has accumulated a 3.15 ERA in 49 games the past two seasons. 

Myers is much more than just a throw-in, as he provides Carlos Mendoza with a steady piece for the bullpen and even more rotation depth. 

“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 to another quality, young major league arm to our organization.”

Owner Steve Cohen certainly seems amped about the moves as well…

What an incredible week. Let’s go Mets !

— Steven Cohen (@StevenACohen2) January 22, 2026

Brett Chancey – Independent Journalist | Co-Host Locked on Astros | Back to the Bullpen with Mike Stanton

The Astros embark on a season in a way they haven’t known since 2016. This is the first year they enter a season where they didn’t qualify for the previous Postseason. We all recall the first round, 2 game exit vs. the Detroit Tigers when they at least made it. Many say was the beginning of the end. I do think, however, despite missing the playoffs in 2025, the Astros stock going into 2026 has gone up.

What gives you the right?

Well, this team has a slew of very capable players on this roster and in this rotation to be highly competitive in the American League West, as well contend for the American League title. Realistically on paper, you would put the Blue Jays, as well others who qualified for the postseason above the Astros. That doesn’t mean I am ready to put them on the shelf, and no one is ignoring it will be a tough task.

I am a firm believer in the law of averages, especially when it comes to the 162-game season that is Major League Baseball. The Houston Astros set a record for injured players in a season and the year prior dealt with injuries so frequently it led to roster irregularities and a team that in the end was too banged up to truly compete in 2026. There is no need to recall all the injuries,

3 Things to focus on:

1. Win the innings war, with a six man rotation and pitching depth.
2. Scoring runs, as well keeping them off the board (offensive and defensive approach)
3. Stop living in the margins: Astros need more depth, fewer empty innings.

Win the Innings War, Pitching Built to Last.

The Astros fastest route back to pitching stability – not “rely on ONE ACE” (AKA HUNTER BROWN), but stack usable starts so the bullpen isn’t cooked by May. They have the starting depth to do that, even if they don’t add anyone at this point. When a team leans into a six man rotation early, which the Astros will by default due to schedule.

There is proof that at this point according to Joe Espada this is a clear and intentional direction for this pitching staff. This was detailed by Brian McTaggart in a tweet December 15, 2025 prior to signing Tatsuya Imai.

The Astros need six serious starters to get off to a hot start pitching wise and take pressure off the offense. My starting 6 would be:

1. Hunter Brown
2. Christian Javier
3. Tatsuya Imai
4. Mike Burrows
5. Spencer Arrighetti
6. Ryan Weiss/Jason Alexander

(Spring Training will also determine if Lance McCullers Jr. has a role in this rotation, which he could earn, Nate Pearson, AJ Blubagh, Colton Gordon, and J.P. France.)

While some may pencil in McCullers Jr. I am not there yet, as with Gordon because I think he profiles as a Long Reliever in the grand scheme of things. The others not mentioned Wesneski and Blanco won’t factor in until July or August realistically speaking.

If the Houston Astros six man rotation can create fewer bullpen “bridge games”, starts where they pitch into the 6th inning more than not, then you have a recipe for success. The one thing that begs the question, will the Astros be able to trust anyone beyond Hunter Brown a 3rd time through the order?

Scoring Runs: Bringing Runners Home.

The Astros don’t need to be the #1 offense in MLB to be a playoff team – but they do need to get back to controlling run environments with quality contact, patience at the plate, and increasing their RISP. With all the discussion of interest from other teams regarding a trade for Isaac Paredes this seems to be a counter intuitive goal, if you are going off past history.

The Astros getting more barrels and fewer easy outs isn’t a vibe, it’s a measurable and attainable goal.

This begins with a Healthy Yordan Alvarez. His Barrel % is 13.8% and huge driver of slugging and extra-base hits. His 52.9% Hard Hit percentage is among the best in MLB, we know his ability to hit all sides of the field as well. Jeremy Pena having another solid offensive year would be huge. While his chase rate is at a career 28.4% he hasn’t been below 35.9%, if the new hitting coaches can get him to reduce that, and get more lift on the ball his barrell % would go up and be a catalyst for this team.

A third player I will mention, (Isaac Paredes is a given if he remains on this roster Opening Day) is Carlos Correa. I believe that with him playing 3B you will see a Correa that stays on the field and can enjoy a chase rate in the 2021 range where he saw his lowest chase% at 24.1%. This would give higher probability to more barrels. In 2021 he had his 2nd highest barrel % at 11.4% only topped by 2019 12.9%. What does this all mean? I see this offense feeding off each other. Notice I didn’t mention Jose Altuve, Christian Walker, Yainer Diaz, Cam Smith, or any of the others. I didn’t for this simple fact, this offense goes as these 3 listed go. If you can get the others to follow you have a playoff offense.

Run Prevention 101 (Pitching and Catching)

This Astros team narrowly missed the playoffs almost solely off of it pitching alone. In the same conversation they were the same pitchers who at times couldn’t stop late inning comebacks. In 2025 the onus is on the offense primarily speaking, but the pitching wasn’t flawless. You need a couple things for this too happen: Prevent runs on the board, manage opponents contact.

The Houston Astros need to understand balls will get hit, so what is the Hard Hit % of batted balls agains their pitchers, as well advancing runners on base. The Houston Astros starting backstop was 1 Catchers CS Above Avg. in 2025, the backup everyone wanted was -4 Catchers CS Above Avg. Both bottom of the barrel. While Yainer Diaz arm strength is 3rd in the league and 4th in Exchange time, his Caught stealing % was only 18%. What does all this have to do with run prevention and the pitching? I will wrap up the discussion here.

Your pitchers have to make a concerted effort to get to the plate as fast as possible. Catchers have to be in an optimal position to throw out the runners. If you can eliminate the threat of running to 2B by throwing out runners, or simply holding them at bay. This team stands to give up fewer runs. Fewer runs less pressure on the offense, as well the pitchers.

All in all I expect the Astros to be contenders in 2026, of course that is why every team plays 162 games in the regular season. As my co-host on Back to the Bullpen Mike Stanton says, getting to the playoffs is the hard part, once you’re in, it’s anybody’s game.“…….or is it? Dodgers????

The trade we expected to happen this offseason has finally happened. Freddy Peralta has been traded to the Mets, per multiple reports. In return, the Brewers will get two of the Mets’ top prospects: Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat. The Brewers are also sending Tobias Myers to the Mets in the trade.

Rumors around the Brewers trading Freddy Peralta have been swirling all offseason. While the Brewers kept insisting that they would keep him for the final year of his contract, it followed the same pattern we’ve seen from previous players who were entering their final years, such as Corbin Burnes and Devin Williams. There was some hope that the Brewers would keep him — they kept Willy Adames for the final year of his contract. It was just a matter of whether the right deal came around for Peralta, and someone finally met the Brewers’ asking price.

The addition of Myers in the deal comes as a surprise. It’s been reported by Michael Marino that the Brewers initially offered a Williams/Sproat for Peralta trade, but the Mets countered to get Myers added to the deal.

Myers spent most of 2025 in Triple-A after a strong rookie season in 2024, but was on the rise as the season came to an end. In 10 2/3 innings in September, he posted a 2.53 ERA and 4.17 FIP out of the bullpen. He made the roster for the NLCS, but made just one appearance, where he allowed a run in 2/3 of an inning. His 2024 season was much better, as he was one of the leaders in the rotation, posting a 3.00 ERA and 3.91 FIP in 27 games (25 starts) over 138 innings. However, with the Brewers’ depth at starting pitcher, his chances of getting back into the rotation in Milwaukee were looking slim.

Jett Williams was rated as the No. 3 prospect in the Mets system and No. 30 overall on MLB Pipeline in their 2025 rankings. FanGraphs was a little cooler on him, ranking in at No. 6 for the Mets and No. 69 overall in their trade deadline update. He spent the majority of last season in Double-A, but earned a promotion to Triple-A later in the year. In 96 Double-A games, he batted .281/.390/.477 with a wRC+ of 156. That cooled down to .209/.285/.433 with an 81 wRC+ in Triple-A, but only in 34 games. Williams has been shifting between second base and shortstop in the minors, but he was also behind Francisco Lindor on the depth chart. Moving to Milwaukee, he has a better opportunity to stick at shortstop with the Brewers looking for an upgrade on offense over Joey Ortiz. However, Williams will likely need some more time at Triple-A, but should still make an impact on the 2026 team.

Brandon Sproat was rated as the No. 5 prospect on MLB Pipeline for the Mets, but did not slot into the top 100. However, FanGraphs was more positive on him, ranking him No. 3 for the Mets and No. 51 overall. Sproat made his MLB debut in 2025, making four starts in September for the Mets. He allowed 11 runs in 20 2/3 innings, struck out 17, and walked seven. Sproat has a fastball that can reach triple digits and regularly sat in the 95-98 mph range in Triple-A, but also was hit at a rate of .380 with it. He also regularly mixes in a slider, curveball, and changeup as well. Sproat should be in competition for a starting spot in Spring Training, though he could also start the year in Triple-A to develop a little more.

Meanwhile, Peralta will head to the Mets and strengthen their rotation. The Mets were around the middle of the pack with their rotation in 2025, posting a 4.13 ERA (18th in MLB) and 3.95 FIP (9th) as a team. Peralta will fill one of their biggest offseason needs and should be one of their top starters entering 2026.

This ends Peralta’s time as a Brewer. He will finish his time with the third-highest career strikeout total and the 10th most starts by a Brewers pitcher. He’s been a strong part of the franchise for years, but with free agency approaching, his time was likely approaching its end either way.

MLB Trade Rumors: The New York Mets are acquiring pitchers Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for pitcher Brandon Sproat and shortstop Jett Williams, per multiple reports.

Peralta, a 29 year old righthander who had his $8 million club option for 2026 picked up, and will be a free agent after the 2026 season, had been rumored throughout the offseason to be a hot commodity, with the Brewers listening on him but not chomping at the bit to deal him. Peralta put up a 2.81 ERA in his first full season as a major league starter in 2021, having split time between the rotation and pen in the three seasons prior to that. He followed that up with a 3.73 ERA and 3.83 FIP in 417 innings from 2022-24, missing a chunk of the 2022 season but making 30 and 32 starts the next two years.

In 2025, Peralta put up a 2.70 ERA and led the majors in wins, with 17, earning him a fifth place finish in the Cy Young balloting. Oddly, though, his peripherals weren’t that much different from his previous three seasons…after averaging 10.7 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, and 1.3 HR/9 from 2022-24, he registered 10.4 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 and 1.1 HR/9 rates in 2025.

Myers is a 27 year old righthander who pitched primarily out of the bullpen in 2025, after making 25 starts and two relief appearances in 2024, his first season in the majors. He started the 2025 season on the injured list, and once healthy split the season between AAA, where he was a starter, and the majors.

Both Sproat and Williams are included on the BA top 100 list that came out earlier today. Williams, ranked #71, was a 2022 first rounder out of Heath, Texas. He missed most of 2024, but rebounded with a solid season in 2025, slashing .261/.363/.465 while splitting time between AA and AAA, and stealing 34 bases. He draws walks, strikes out a fair amount, and has a surprising amount of power for a guy that BA lists at 5’6”.

BA had Sproat at #81 on their list. Originally drafted in the seventh round by the Rangers in 2019, he ended up not signing, opting to attend the University of Florida instead. The Mets drafted him in the third round in 2022, but he didn’t sign, returning for his senior season at Florida. New York drafted him again in 2023, this time in the second round, and were able to sign him this time around.

Sproat made four major league starts in September, 2025, most notably throwing six shutout innings against the Rangers on September 13. At AAA, he put up a 4.24 ERA in 121 innings over 26 appearances, striking out 113 and walking 53.

Cedric Mullins’ brief stint in Queens did not produce the results the Mets hoped for.

The Mets acquired Mullins from the Orioles moments before the trade deadline last July, shipping three prospects to Baltimore in exchange for the veteran outfielder.

The 31-year-old admitted that leaving the Orioles, after a decade in the organization, made for a difficult adjustment.

“It hit pretty hard, having to uplift your entire life,” Mullins said during an appearance on “Foul Territory” Wednesday.

“Especially out in New York, where things can get hectic on a day-to-day basis. It was definitely a lot of changes and adjustments that had to be made, along with trying to perform at your best.”

Acquired to shore up center field after Jose Siri’s knee injury — and underperformance from Tyrone Taylor — the Mets hoped Mullins could recapture some of his All-Star form from 2021, when he hit 30 home runs and stole 30 bases.

Even his first-half output with Baltimore — a .229/.305/.433 slash line with 15 homers and 49 RBIs —would have represented a stark upgrade for New York.

Instead, Mullins’ performance mirrored the team’s late-season collapse; he made some costly mistakes on defense while hitting just .182 with two homers and 10 RBIs, spending most of September on the bench.

Cedric Mullins says getting traded by the Orioles hit him hard. pic.twitter.com/gXGIr8KkeL

— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) January 21, 2026

“Foul Territory” co-host and ex-MLB catcher Erik Kratz asked Mullins if he felt pressure to play differently upon joining the Mets.

“In some instances, yeah,” Mullins said. “There were a bunch of talented guys where I didn’t feel like I had to come in and be something I completely wasn’t.

“I was just trying to complement what the team already had and that might have put some pressure on me to do a little too much for what was already a good team that fell off at the end.”

Despite standout individual seasons from Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor and the since-departed Pete Alonso, a rash of injuries to the pitching led to a crushing end to the year, as the Mets missed the playoffs after losing on the last day of the season.

The pitching woes, in particular, impacted the Mets down the stretch, according to Mullins.

“After a week, two weeks, it feels pretty evident the pitching was struggling,” Mulins added. “We had to try to come back late in a lot of the games. When it comes in waves like that, it’s tough to battle back. Every once in a while, we’d have a moment where our arms would be dominating and the offense is struggling to get it going.

“When you have that roller coaster going back and forth, it’s tough to get momentum going for us, especially in a playoff run.”

In a transformative offseason for the Mets, a Mullins reunion was not in the cards, as he returned to the familiar AL East, signing a one-year, $8 million deal with the Rays.

Mullins said the Rays’ return to Tropicana Field in 2026 — after the team was displaced last season following Hurricane Milton — factored into his decision.

“I saw what that schedule looked like for them last year,” Mullins said, referencing the team’s stretch at George M. Steinbrenner Field, which does not have a roof. “They went through it for sure.”

As for the Mets, the club addressed its center field void by acquiring former All-Star Luis Robert Jr. from the White Sox this week.

The Mets have acquired right-handed pitchers Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers from the Brewers in exchange for prospects Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat, per Jeff Passan and Jon Heyman.

The 29-year-0ld Peralta has a career 3.59 ERA in the 931.0 innings he’s thrown in the big leagues, all of which have been with the Brewers. He’s been particularly durable over the past three seasons, as he’s thrown 165.2, 173.2, and 176.2 innings in those years, respectively. And thanks to his excellent 2.70 ERA in 2025, he had a cumulative 3.40 ERA over those past three seasons. He’s signed through the end of the 2026 season, after which he’s set to be a free agent—barring any potential extension with the Mets.

Myers is a 27-year-old who started Game 3 against the the Mets in the Wild Card round of the 2024 playoffs. After pitching almost exclusively as a starter in his rookie season with the Brewers in 2024, he made the vast majority of his appearances last year out of the bullpen. In total, he has a 3.15 ERA in 188.2 innings in the big leagues.

Williams was a consensus top-100 prospect in baseball in each of the past three seasons, and he’s coming off a 2025 season that saw him hit .261/.363/.465 with 17 home runs and 34 stolen bases in 43 attempts in his time with Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse.

And Sproat was a consensus top-100 prospect ahead of the 2025 season, too, as he was coming off an excellent 2024 season. After struggling in the first half in Syracuse last year, he turned things around and finished his minor league season with a 4.24 ERA. And he made four starts for the Mets as they searched for answers in their rotation late in the season, putting up a 4.79 ERA in 20.2 innings with the team.

The New York Mets, just hours after introducing Bo Bichette in a press conference Wednesday afternoon in New York, pounced again and traded for Milwaukee Brewers ace Freddy Peralta.

The Brewers, who let teams know all winter that Peralta was available, but only at a steep price, finally got a team to meet their demand when the Mets sent prized pitching prospect Brandon Sproat and infield prospect Jett Williams to Milwaukee. The Mets also receive pitcher Tobias Myers.

Peralta, who’s eligible for free agency after the 2026 season, is coming off a career year in which he went an NL-leading 17-6 with a 2.70 ERA, helping lead the Brewers to an MLB-best 97 victories. Peralta, who finished fifth in the Cy Young balloting, also is one of the best bargains in baseball, earning just $8 million.

Just like that, in a winter in which they were chastised and ridiculed by their fan base for letting favorites Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz leave in free agency, while trading away outfielder Brandon Nimmo, the Mets have rebounded with a flourish.

The Mets, who were left at the alter five days ago when outfielder Kyle Tucker rejected their four-year, $120 million offer and joined the Los Angeles Dodgers, have since signed Bichette to a three-year, $126 million contract, traded for Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert, and now landed Peralta and Myers.

And just like that, the Chicago Cubs’ winter got a whole lot better, too, knowing that the Brewers’ ace is out of the NL Central.

The Mets have landed a long-coveted ace. 

Only hours after president of baseball operations David Stearns reaffirmed to reporters his desire to address the team’s starting rotation, the Mets acquired All-Star right-hander Freddy Peralta on Wednesday from the Brewers for prospects Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat, the club announced.

As part of the deal the Mets also received right-hander Tobias Myers. 

Peralta, who is entering his walk year, pitched to a 2.70 ERA in 33 starts for the Brewers last season, when he finished fifth in the National League Cy Young Award voting after his second career All-Star appearance. 

The 29-year-old Peralta, who arrived to the Brewers in a trade with the Mariners during Stearns’ tenure heading the Brewers front office, gives the Mets the true ace they have lacked since trading Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer during the 2023 season. 

Over the past two seasons, the Mets had hoped Kodai Senga would develop into an ace, but the right-hander was sidetracked by injuries (and ineffectiveness last year that led to him finishing the season at Triple-A Syracuse) leading Stearns to say earlier in the offseason that Senga couldn’t be counted on as a top-of-the-rotation force. 

Myers, a swingman, appeared in 22 games last season (six as a starter) and pitched to a 3.55 ERA. 

Peralta’s key metrics include a hard-hit ball rate of only 34.5 percent, which ranked in MLB’s 90th percentile. Peralta’s strikeout rate of 28.2 percent (despite a fastball that rates only slightly above average) ranked in MLB’s 84th percentile. 

Williams was the Mets’ No. 3 prospect and a possibility for the major league roster at some point this season. Drafted as an infielder, he had shifted into a hybrid role, playing center field in the minors. 

Sproat began last season as the organization’s top pitching prospect, but was supplanted by Nolan McLean as the year progressed. Even so, Sproat debuted for the Mets last September and pitched to a 4.79 ERA in four starts. 

It leaves the Mets with rotation pieces heading to spring training that will include Peralta, McLean, Senga, Sean Manaea, Clay Holmes and David Peterson.

Others in the mix include Christian Scott and Jonah Tong. Scott missed last season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and the rookie Tong debuted for the club last September. 

The Peralta splash occurred only hours after the Mets introduced Bo Bichette at Citi Field. The Mets signed Bichette last week to a three-year contract worth $126 million (that includes two opt-outs) after missing on Kyle Tucker, the top free agent on the market.

Tucker received a four-year deal worth $240 million from the Dodgers, prompting the Mets to pivot to Bichette, who will shift from shortstop to third base. 

Tuesday night the Mets addressed center field by acquiring Luis Robert Jr. from the White Sox for Luisangel Acuña and minor league pitcher Truman Pauley.

Robert is deemed a Gold Glove potential center fielder with a high ceiling offensively who has underwhelmed the past two seasons in large part because of injuries. 

Stearns’ overhaul of the roster began in November, when he traded Brandon Nimmo to Texas for Marcus Semien. At the Winter Meetings, the team lost stars Edwin Díaz and Pete Alonso to free agency (to the Dodgers and Orioles) and shortly afterward traded Jeff McNeil to the Athletics for a minor league pitcher. 

In between, the team signed Devin Williams (who will assume the closer’s role) and Luke Weaver for the bullpen. The Mets also signed Jorge Polanco to play first base — a position at which he’s appeared only once in the major leagues — with the idea his powerful switch-hitting bat will help compensate for Alonso’s loss.