Freddy Peralta has become a bad example for anyone trying to pin the Mets with a deadline curse.
A few weeks ago, the idea was floating around that New York somehow had a hand in his 2026 collapse. That theory looks a lot shakier now. Peralta has a 7.17 ERA in four starts for Tampa Bay, and whatever advice from Justin Willard was supposed to explain the slide doesn’t seem to hold up.
If there’s a former Mets pitcher who now fits that conversation better, it might be David Peterson.
The left-hander was sitting on a 6.09 ERA before the Mets sent him to the Chicago Cubs, but the change of scenery has brought real results. In Chicago, Peterson has thrown 50.1 innings across nine starts and one relief appearance, and he’s worked to a 3.93 ERA. He’s gone at least six innings three times, and while 10 of the 24 runs he’s allowed for the Cubs came in one disastrous outing, the bigger picture is hard to ignore: he’s settled in and pitched like a useful arm again.
That doesn’t mean this is all on the Mets. Peterson has always been more of a contact pitcher than a strikeout guy, so the defense behind him matters.
Chicago’s glove work has been a big help, and maybe the best in the league. His .279 BAbip with the Cubs is better than what he was usually running with the Mets, and for his career that number sits at .316.
For a pitcher who doesn’t miss a ton of bats, that’s not a small detail.
Still, 50.1 innings is enough to ask some uncomfortable questions about what New York had going wrong. It’s also notable that Peterson had never pitched for another organization before this season. Maybe the Mets’ approach was simply too different for him.
To their credit, the Mets did adjust when Peterson stopped functioning as a starter. They moved him into a bulk role without dragging it out.
The Cubs have gone the other direction, leaving him in a more traditional starting setup, and the results have been better than not. He’s not the 2024 version of himself, when he went 10-3 with a 2.90 ERA, but he has looked like a perfectly workable back-of-the-rotation pitcher.
In New York, things had deteriorated to the point where he wasn’t useful in any role.
Peterson’s case is also unusual because he had only Jeremy Hefner as his pitching coach until this year, and even with that continuity he was rarely steady. The real answer on whether the Mets deserve the blame may not come until after this season.
Peterson is headed for free agency and should draw interest from multiple teams. He’s probably not the next Zack Wheeler, but there may still be another All-Star season left in him.
In Other News...
Mets Game Turned Into A Brewers Message To Cooper Pratt
A midgame benching is never subtle, and Brewers manager Pat Murphy made the point loud and clear with rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt. The issue was effort and execution on a play, plus a missed bunt attempt after a sign was on, and Murphy used the moment to reinforce how Milwaukee expects its young players to handle the details that often decide whether they stay on the field.
Pratt did not dodge responsibility, acknowledging the mistakes and saying he needs to improve both his hustle and his attention to what the Brewers are asking for. Murphy, for his part, said he believes in Pratts character and treated the whole episode as a teaching moment, which is usually how teams prefer these lessons to land even when the message is delivered the hard way. [Read more 🡒]
Carson Benge Has Put The Mets In A Surprising Award Race
Carson Benge has gone from a quiet part of the Mets future to one of the more intriguing names in the National League rookie conversation, and the timing has only sharpened the focus. Since May 1, he has taken a clear step forward at the plate and in the field, giving the Mets a boost that has shown up in their recent winning streak and making him look less like a long-term project than a player already influencing games.
The Rookie of the Year picture is starting to get crowded, with Benge now in the mix alongside teammate Nolan McLean and other rising names such as Cincinnatis Sal Stewart and St. Louiss JJ Weatherholt. Interim manager Andy Green said both Benge and McLean have legitimate cases, and there is even a little extra incentive attached for the Mets if one of them finishes the job, since an award win would bring the club an additional draft pick. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Deadline Sell-Off Is Already Fueling A New Debate
Three weeks after the trade deadline, the Mets sell-off is already inviting a fresh round of second-guessing, mostly because the veterans shipped out have landed in a mix of very different situations. Reliever Huascar Brazobn has had a rough start with the White Sox, carrying a 6.30 ERA and ending up on the injured list with a lat strain, which is the kind of early return that makes deadline deals look a lot less tidy in hindsight.
Elsewhere, the post-deadline picture has been uneven enough to keep the debate alive. Some of the players dealt away have settled into their new homes better than others, and the articles rundown of how each one has performed only sharpens the question Mets fans are already asking: whether the front office moved at the right time, for the right pieces, and with enough certainty about what was coming back. [Read more 🡒]