Freddy Peralta is officially a Met, and while he may not be the flashiest name to land in Queens this offseason, don’t let that fool you-this is a move with real upside. Peralta’s path to this point has been anything but linear, but it’s also the kind of journey that builds the kind of pitcher who can anchor a rotation.
Let’s rewind. Peralta first signed with the Mariners out of the Dominican Republic back in 2013.
He was just 17 at the time, and like a lot of international prospects, he spent his first few years grinding through rookie ball. After a solid showing in the Dominican Summer League, he made his way stateside to Arizona for his age-18 season.
The results were a bit uneven at first, but he found his footing in 2015 with a stronger second act.
That winter, the Mariners dealt him to the Brewers in a three-player package for Adam Lind, who was coming off one of his best seasons. It’s the kind of trade that barely registers at the time-young pitcher for a veteran bat-but in hindsight, Milwaukee came out ahead. Lind gave Seattle one underwhelming season, while Peralta slowly developed into a key arm in the Brewers’ system.
In 2016, Peralta split time between Single-A and High-A, logging 82 innings with a 3.62 ERA. The Brewers used him in a hybrid role-part starter, part reliever-which gave him exposure to different situations and helped round out his game.
By 2017, he was back in High-A and dominating. He earned a midseason promotion to Double-A and didn’t miss a beat, finishing the year with a sparkling 2.26 ERA over 63.2 innings at that level.
Then came the breakthrough. After just seven starts in Triple-A to open 2018, Peralta got the call to the big leagues.
His debut? A 13-strikeout gem at Coors Field-yes, Coors Field-where he gave up just one hit over 5.2 shutout innings.
It was an electric entrance, and though he bounced between the majors and minors that season, he made a strong impression with a 4.25 ERA and 3.72 FIP over 78.1 innings.
Milwaukee tried him in the bullpen full-time in 2019, but the results weren’t great. His ERA ballooned to 5.29, and the long ball became a real issue-1.6 home runs per nine innings is tough to work around, even when you're striking out 115 batters in 85 frames. The shortened 2020 season saw him stay in relief, but he rebounded with a more respectable 3.99 ERA in limited action.
Then came the turning point. In 2021, the Brewers moved Peralta back into the rotation, and he looked like a completely different pitcher.
Over 144.1 innings, he posted a 2.81 ERA and 3.12 FIP, good for 3.7 bWAR. He was commanding the zone, missing bats, and looking every bit the part of a top-three starter.
Injuries slowed him down in 2022-lat and elbow issues limited him to just 78 innings-but he still managed a 3.58 ERA when he was on the mound. From 2023 through 2025, though, Peralta hit his stride as one of the more reliable arms in the game.
Over that three-year stretch, he piled up 516 innings-the 15th-most in baseball-and posted ERAs of 3.86, 3.68, and 2.70, respectively. That 2.70 mark in 2025?
It was one of the best in the league.
Peralta’s success hasn’t been a fluke. His Statcast metrics back it up, especially in 2023 and 2025, when he ranked highly across the board.
His four-pitch mix has been a big part of that. He leans heavily on his four-seam fastball, but he’s also got a changeup, curveball, and slider that keep hitters guessing.
What's interesting is how that mix has evolved. From 2021 through 2024, the slider was his go-to secondary pitch.
But in 2025, it became his least-used. Instead, he leaned more on his changeup-throwing it more than either the slider or curve for the first time in his career.
It’s a subtle shift, but one that shows he’s constantly adjusting, evolving, finding new ways to get outs.
Now, Peralta enters the final year of a remarkably team-friendly deal-seven years, $30 million, signed before the 2020 season. He’ll turn 30 in June, and while that’s not exactly young in baseball years, it’s not old either-especially for a pitcher who’s shown he can carry a heavy workload and still dominate.
For the Mets, this is a savvy pickup. If they like what they see in 2026-and there’s plenty of reason to think they will-Peralta could be a strong candidate for an extension. Durable, battle-tested, and still evolving, he’s the kind of pitcher who doesn’t just fill out a rotation-he elevates it.