The New York Mets made a major move to bolster their pitching staff, acquiring right-handers Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for top prospects Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat. It's a bold swing by Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns-one that brings a familiar face back into his orbit.
Stearns originally brought Peralta to Milwaukee in a trade back in 2015 when Peralta was still a teenager. Now, over a decade later, he’s betting on him again to help anchor a Mets rotation that’s been in need of a frontline arm.
Peralta, 29, is coming off an All-Star campaign and enters the final year of his contract. Last season, he went 17-6 with a 2.70 ERA, earning a fifth-place finish in the Cy Young voting.
He’s been one of the most consistent strikeout artists in the game, racking up at least 200 punchouts in each of the last three seasons-a feat matched by only two other pitchers in all of baseball. He sits second in Brewers franchise history with 1,153 strikeouts, and was on pace to eclipse Yovani Gallardo’s record this year.
But Milwaukee, always walking the tightrope between contention and sustainability, decided it was time to move on. This is the latest in a pattern for the Brewers, who’ve dealt away star arms like Josh Hader, Corbin Burnes, and Devin Williams in recent seasons. The strategy is clear: maximize value before free agency hits, and restock the pipeline with high-upside talent.
Still, this one stings a little more. Peralta wasn’t just another ace-he was a clubhouse leader, a fan favorite, and a homegrown success story. His departure marks the end of an era for Milwaukee, but it also signals the continuation of a business model that’s kept the Brewers competitive despite the league’s smallest market.
It’s worth noting that while Peralta’s surface-level stats were elite, some of the advanced metrics suggest caution. His FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) was 3.64-nearly a full run higher than his ERA-and his whiff rate has been on the decline since 2020. That doesn’t mean he’s not still a frontline starter, but it does highlight the Brewers’ possible reasoning for selling high.
Milwaukee also parts ways with Tobias Myers, a 27-year-old righty who quietly had a breakout year in 2024. He posted a 3.00 ERA across 27 appearances and delivered five shutout innings in a clutch Wild Card Game 3 win over these very Mets. Though he fell out of the rotation last season, Myers added valuable depth to the Brewers’ staff.
In return, Milwaukee gets two top-100 prospects, and both bring intriguing upside.
Jett Williams, despite standing just 5-foot-7, packs a serious punch. He’s a dynamic athlete with a rare power-speed combo and enough defensive versatility to handle both shortstop and center field.
The 22-year-old tore up Double-A last season, slashing .281 with a .477 slugging percentage before a late-season promotion to Triple-A. While he struggled to find consistent contact at the higher level, he still managed to launch seven homers in just 34 games.
Then there’s Brandon Sproat, a 2023 second-round pick who made his MLB debut last September. He enters the Brewers’ system as one of the more electric young arms in the game.
Sproat boasts a deep six-pitch arsenal headlined by a plus-plus slider and a heavy sinker that sits in the upper 90s. He also mixes in a four-seamer, a sharp curveball, and a changeup.
Evaluators still see frontline potential, even if there’s some reliever risk in his profile. His swing-and-miss numbers dipped a bit in Triple-A last year, but his ability to make adjustments was seen as a positive sign for his long-term development.
For Milwaukee, the return fits their blueprint: flip a star in his final year for controllable, high-upside talent. And while the loss of Peralta leaves a hole in the rotation, the Brewers aren’t short on arms.
Brandon Woodruff, who accepted a qualifying offer to return, will lead the staff. Behind him, the team will look to a group of young pitchers including Sproat, Jacob Misiorowski, Quinn Priester, Chad Patrick, Logan Henderson, and Robert Gasser.
There’s also the option of stretching out Aaron Ashby or DL Hall into starting roles.
This trade is a gamble for both sides. The Mets are banking on Peralta to be the difference-maker atop their rotation, while Milwaukee is betting that Williams and Sproat can be foundational pieces in their next wave of talent. It’s not often you see a team coming off a 97-win season and a deep playoff run trade away an All-Star pitcher, but the Brewers continue to operate on their own terms-and more often than not, they find a way to make it work.