The New York Mets finally got their interim ace, and they did it the right way this time. The Mets gave up a pair of promising prospects, starter Brandon Sproat and infielder Jett Williams, and in return they landed Milwaukee Brewers ace Freddy Peralta, who will immediately assume the same sole at the top of the Mets’ rotation, along with young pitcher Tobias Myers.
This was a fair trade that met needs for both teams, although Milwaukee basically made this trade for financial reasons. The right-handed Peralta will make just $8 million this year, and the small-market Brewers knew going into this offseason that signing him when he becomes a free agent next year would be a long shot.
The trade also breaks up the Mets’ so-called “Big Three,” which consisted of young starters Nolan McLean, Sproat and Jonah Tong. McLean was made off limits early on, and Sproat was the second-best of the three hurlers.
But he’s no consolation prize. Sproat is projected to be at least a mid-rotation starter, especially if he continues to make successful adjustments, and he’ll almost certainly be an immediate part of the Brewers rotation this year.
Both Sproat and Williams are Top 100 prospects, so Williams is far more than a throw-in in this deal. Williams slashed .261/.363/.465 with 17 home runs, 34 doubles, seven triples and 34 stolen bases as he moved from Double A to Triple A this year, and according to Baseball America he’s considered a serviceable shortstop with a plus arm that also plays in the outfield. He, too, will get opportunities in Milwaukee, although it may take a while to figure out his best positional fit.
Peralta is the big prize in this one, though, and for the Mets he’s more than worth what they gave up. He pitched 176-2/3 innings last year with a 2.70 ERA and 204 strikeouts, and Peralta went 17-5 for the Brewers last year.
He was initially known as “Fastball Freddy” when he first came up in Milwaukee, but he now throws breaking balls and changeups 50 percent of the time, so he’s become a complete pitcher whose current scouting report praises his ability to limit contact and hold hitters to a low average.
Peralta isn’t consider a true ace by some expert, but the Mets won’t quibble about that given that Peralta got Cy Young award votes this year and they have McLean as their ace-in-waiting. The Mets’ big challenge will be signing him to a long-term deal next year, assuming he can adapt to the demands of pitching in New York, and several of the short-term deals and signings Stearns has made in the last couple of months should help in that regard.
Don’t sleep on Myers' role in this deal, either. He’s just 27, and he was effective initially as a starter in 2024 before injuries derailed his promising start. The Brewers used him in relief when he was recalled from Triple A in July, and he’ll likely start as as important bullpen piece for the Mets with a chance to join the rotation if he can stay healthy.