Not that it wasn't expected, but the news of right-handed pitcher Freddy Peralta getting traded by the Milwaukee Brewers to another club still turned lots of heads and grabbed headlines on Wednesday night.
Long rumored to be a trade candidate, Peralta and another pitcher in Tobias Myers were sent by the Brewers to the New York Mets in exchange for prospects Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat.
The Mets have gone all out in the offseason, especially after losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a bid to acquire Kyle Tucker, and Peralta is the latest in a series of front-office flexes by New York, which is looking to have a strong rebound in 2026 after missing the MLB playoffs in 2025.
The Brewers are coming off a historic 97-win season, and will have new faces onboard in the organization following this big trade.
Brewers have new prospects
The Brewers knew they couldn't hold on to Peralta much longer, as they likely were going to lose him one way or another before the next winter. The 29-year-old Peralta will be a free agent after the 2026 season, and Milwaukee just didn't want to waste time envisioning a bidding war for him in the next offseason.
Nevertheless, losing Peralta is a huge blow for Milwaukee's rotation, especially since he just had his best season in the big leagues by a mile. He would have still been a great presence on the mound in 2026, as the Brewers look to make another run for a World Series title (which they came just eight wins short of accomplishing in the last playoffs).
But the decision to trade Peralta is clearly a long-term move for Milwaukee. The prospects coming into the Brewers' fold sum it up. The infielder Williams was No. 3 on the Mets' prospect rankings, while the right-handed pitcher Sproat was No. 5.
A couple of top-five prospects from New York doesn’t sound like a bad return for the Brewers, a franchise that has a predilection for developing prospects over making splashy free-agent acquisitions. And both Williams and Sproat can be ready to contribute in the big leagues for the Brewers in 2026.
Mets get an ace in Freddy Peralta
This has to be a win for the Mets. Parting ways with Williams and Sproat stings, but the pain is far from debilitating for the Queens-based franchise.
Peralta led the National League in 2025 with 17 wins against six losses on the mound, while posting a 2.70 ERA and racking up 204 strikeouts (second-most in his career) across 33 appearances (all starts). In addition, he had a 3.64 and a 154 ERA+. He had not posted an ERA+ higher than 147 before 2025.
Although Peralta doesn't have a contract beyond 2027, the Mets have the money to keep him.
For now, New York has a rotation that Peralta is expected to anchor, with Nolan McLean, David Peterson, Kodai Senga, Clay Holmes and Sean Manaea in the mix behind him.
As for Myers, he is a controllable asset the Mets can further develop. In two MLB seasons, the 27-year-old righty Myers has a 10-8 record, 3.15 ERA and 1.224 WHIP through 49 appearances (31 starts) and 188.2 innings.
