Shoring up a rotation thinned by injuries, Chicago is eyeing a reunion between Craig Counsell and New York's All-Star ace Freddy Peralta to bolster their postseason push.
The Chicago Cubs will be in the market to add a starting pitcher at this year’s trade deadline.
Cade Horton is already out for the season, and it is still unclear when Justin Steele will be back after his recent setback. With those injuries, plus Matthew Boyd’s meniscus injury, the team needs more starting pitching.
And the Cubs are wasting no time in reaching out to teams for some pitching help.
Bruce Levine reported on Friday that the Cubs have already checked in with the New York Mets regarding All-Star pitcher Freddy Peralta.
“The Cubs are one of the teams the Mets have talked to about acquiring RHP Freddy Peralta,” Levine wrote on X. “June 1st is a target time for the Mets to either get back into the race or move the soon-to-be free agent.”
Peralta is in the final year of his deal and will become a free agent after the 2026 season. With the Mets currently sitting in last place in the National League East at 14-23, New York could look to trade away expiring contracts if things don’t turn around.
Now, New York won’t be waving the white flag and sell all their expiring contracts at the beginning of May. But if the Mets are still under .500 and a playoff spot looks out of reach by June/July, they could move Peralta to a contending team like the Cubs.
The two-time All-Star would be the perfect addition for the Cubs. He has become one of the top pitchers in baseball and is off to another great start in the early portion of the 2026 season. Peralta has a 3.12 ERA and 43 strikeouts in eight starts this year.
Manager Craig Counsell is also very familiar with Peralta, as the two spent six seasons together with the Milwaukee Brewers (2018-2023). Those two definitely shared a strong bond in their time in Milwaukee.
The Mets will no doubt be holding onto Peralta for as long as they can. They likely won't trade him anytime soon, and New York’s front office remains hopeful that this team can go on a hot streak.
However, the Cubs are a logical trade partner if the Mets are still out of the playoff race by July. They need more starting pitching and have some high-upside prospects that could make a deal work for both sides.
It’s still too early to say that the Mets will definitely be trading away Peralta before the MLB Trade Deadline on August 3. But the chances of that happening will grow exponentially if New York continues to struggle as a team.