The Mets may have gotten more out of the David Peterson trade than they realized.
When New York sent Peterson to the Cubs, the move made sense on its face. His 6.09 ERA had turned him into a tough sell as a starter, even if his better stretches had come in a bulk role. In a season already shaped by the uncertainty around Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga, the Mets had every reason to move on from him for whatever they could get.
At the time, the deal looked favorable. Now it looks even better.
ESPN’s latest update to every team’s top prospect rankings gave the trade a fresh twist, with the player the Mets received, Cole Mathis, landing at No. 10 in the system. That kind of placement doesn’t settle everything, but it does make the return look a lot more appealing.
Mathis’ rise to that spot is tied in part to the way the rest of the farm has slipped, but there’s more to it than that. He was a second-round pick in 2024 and opened his professional career with an .879 OPS, which gives him a real case as more than just a name in the middle of a transaction.
The Cubs, meanwhile, have already seen the full range of Peterson’s value. In three appearances, he’s given them one outing that fell an out short of a quality start with two earned runs, another five-inning effort that included two-hit ball and four walks, and a third start that blew up for 10 earned runs in 3.2 innings.
Chicago needed pitching and was willing to pay for it, sending a mid-level top 30 prospect to the Mets to get the arm.
There’s also a small draft wrinkle here. ESPN had first-round pick Carson Wiggins and third-rounder Aidan Robbins, who may have been the better-ranked prospect, just outside the top 10. By ESPN’s view, the Mets ended up with a better prospect in the Peterson trade than they did in the draft.
David Stearns has never been short on creativity, even if it sometimes pushes things to the edge. Mathis hasn’t played a minor league game for the Mets yet, so holding onto that top-10 spot will require him to get back on the field before the season ends. If he doesn’t, someone else is likely to slide past him.
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