New York Mets have a new pitcher to lead their rotation, and GM David Stearns did a video conference with the New York and national media to discuss hurlers Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers. Inevitably, the first question he was asked was about the future beyond 2026 given that Freddy Peralta is pitching for $8 million and will need to be extended after that.
"I'm not going to speculate on that Day 1 here," Stearns said in a piece written by Jorge Castillo of ESPN. "We'll let Freddy get acclimated to the organization.”
Stearns added that all talks after that will be kept private, which is unlikely given the nature of the New York media, but it’s what he’s supposed to say. He knows the Mets gave up two major prospects, starter Brandon Sproat and infielder Jett Williams, to get Peralta, and the team’s trade grade for this deal will plummet if Peralta is allowed to walk after just a single season in New York.
Much of the rest of the GM’s comments were also on the boilerplate side—e.g, he’s a “really good person” who meshes well with teammates and organization. But Stearns was also the Milwaukee Brewers GM when the Brewers traded for Peralta from the Seattle Mariners in 2015, so Peralta is a player he knows quite well.
“He's constantly getting better and I had a front-row seat for that during his development,” Stearns added.
It will be hard for Peralta to pitch much better than he did last year in Milwaukee, though. He posted a 2.70 ERA in 33 starts, and Peralta also struck out over 200 opposing hitters. He earned Cy Young votes for that effort, so his major challenge will be “acclimating” to the New York market.
Stearns also had some comments about Myers, who’s much more than a throw-in in this deal. The right-hander was on track to be a successful starter in 2024 when injuries derailed his progress, but he rebounded in the second half of last season to post excellent numbers as a reliever.
"We like his ability to give us multiple innings out of the pen when needed," Stearns said. "And also flex into the rotation, if that's the way it goes. So that versatility, the roster flexibility that can come with it, will really help us."
The Mets have now overhauled their roster to the point where there are so many new players that name tags may be required initially in the clubhouse. The new acquisitions included second baseman Marcus Semien, infielders Jorge Polanco and Bo Bichette, center fielder Luis Robert Jr., closer Devin Williams and reliever Luke Weaver.
There are more moves to come, but they probably won’t be as big as the ones that Stearns has made to date. Third baseman Brett Baty is currently slated to move to left field, but he's never played a full season as an outfielder. The starting rotation is bloated with back-end names who underperformed during last year’s second half collapse, so expect the herd to be thinned there before the Mets report to spring training.