After joining the Mets via trade from the Brewers in January, Freddy Peralta hasn’t yet thrown a regular-season pitch, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t prepared to stay with the team for a long time.
As he approaches the last season of his current contract, the All-Star right-hander would prefer a contract extension of “seven or eight” years, according to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman in an article for the New York Post (subscription needed). After Milwaukee exercised its club option, he is owed $8 million for this season.
Peralta, who will turn 30 in 2026, just off a breakout year in which he led the National League with 17 victories and a 2.70 ERA. He was selected as an All-Star for the second time in his career after striking out 28.2% of opposing batters. In the NL Cy Young Award voting, he placed fifth as well. He has an eight-year MLB career with a 3.59 ERA and a 29.9% K rate.
The Mets struck a deal for Peralta, sending their No. 3 (Jett Williams) and No. 5 (Brandon Sproat) prospects to the Brewers, in search of a true ace to complement young right-hander Nolan McLean (Mets’ No. 1 prospect, No. 6 overall) atop a starting rotation that finished 18th in the Majors in ERA (4.13) last season. The move followed major changes to the position-player portion of the squad, including the trade of Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil, the departure of premier reliever Edwin DÃaz and slugging first baseman Pete Alonso in free agency.
Peralta would match or surpass the longest contract extensions granted to pitchers if he were to get a seven- or eight-year agreement. Félix Hernández (seven years, $175 million with the Mariners in 2013), Clayton Kershaw (seven years, $215 million with the Dodgers in 2014), Stephen Strasburg (seven years, $175 million with the Nationals in 2016), José Berěos (seven years, $131 million with the Blue Jays in 2021), and Justin Verlander (seven-year, $180 million extension with the Tigers in 2013).
