Say this for pitcher Freddy Peralta—he learns fast. The New York Mets new ace may be new to a big-market team, but he already knows what to do when it comes to his next contract.
According to MLB Network Insider Jon Heyman, Peralta is looking for a contract length of “seven or eight years,” as he pitches this year for $8 million.
This is almost funny if you think about it at all. Peralta certainly has the stats to back up the ask--he’s coming off a Cy Young-caliber season in which he posted an ERA of 2.70, and he led the National League with 17 wins. The pitcher struck out 28.2 percent of the the hitters he faced, according to Manny Randhawa of MLB.com.
A contract of that length would match or exceed the longest contracts given to a pitcher, both currently and in the recent past. It would put Peralta on a list of pitchers that includes the likes of Justin Verlander (seven-year, $180 million extension with the Detroit Tigers in 2013), Félix Hernández (seven years, $175 million with the Seattle Mariners in 2013), Clayton Kershaw (seven years, $215 million with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014), Stephen Strasburg (seven years, $175 million with the Washington Nationals in 2016) and José Berríos (seven years, $131 million with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021).
What makes this amusing is the dynamic that’s in play here with regard to the Mets. Peralta knows full well that GM David Stearns, who’s traded for the pitcher twice now, has either been avoiding long-terms deals or jettisoning players who already have one.
That’s unlikely to change soon going forward, although Peralta could be the exception to the rule if he duplicates last season’s numbers and the Mets either go on a deep playoff run or actually win the World Series.
But Peralta’s comments weren’t addressed to Stearns. He’s playing to the owner, Steve Cohen, who loves stars and isn’t adverse to paying them when they perform. Peralta isn’t a household name right now, but he will certainly be a star in New York and beyond if he can hold up his end of the bargain for the Mets.
It is slightly early to be starting these kinds of tactics, but on the other hand, it’s never too early to start lobbying for big money and long-term deals given the willingness of the New York media to pick up on stories like this.