The Freddy Peralta sweepstakes are officially over-and the winner isn’t wearing pinstripes.
In a bold move that sent a ripple through the New York baseball scene, the Mets have acquired All-Star right-hander Freddy Peralta from the Milwaukee Brewers, along with rookie righty Tobias Myers. It’s a major swing by a front office that’s clearly not interested in waiting around after a disappointing 2025.
The price? Top prospects Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat, plus an additional big league arm heading to Queens.
And just like that, one of the few remaining impact arms on the market is off the board-and it’s not the Yankees making the splash.
Let’s be clear: the Yankees were in the conversation. There were reports just over a week ago suggesting they were front-runners in the Peralta talks, with a potential package built around Luis Gil.
Adding someone like Spencer Jones or Will Warren to sweeten the deal seemed like a logical path to completion. But logic doesn’t always win out in trade negotiations-especially when the other side is dreaming bigger.
Milwaukee had their eyes on upside, and the Mets had the pieces to deliver it. Sproat, while less tested at the big-league level than Gil or Warren, brought more prospect shine.
He was ranked 61st on Baseball America’s Top 100 list heading into 2025 and still held value despite sliding to 81st in the latest update. Sometimes, teams bet on projection over production.
But the real difference-maker was Jett Williams. Ranked 58th and 71st in the same Baseball America updates, the dynamic shortstop prospect was simply a level above what the Yankees were willing-or able-to offer.
Matching that would’ve meant parting with someone like Dax Kilby or George Lombard Jr., not Spencer Jones or Jasson Dominguez. And for a starter with two years of control left, even one as electric as Peralta, that was a line the Yankees weren’t going to cross.
So now, instead of slotting Peralta behind Gerrit Cole in the Bronx, Yankees fans will have to watch him take the mound at Citi Field. And the timing stings. Just hours after the Yankees finally locked in Cody Bellinger on a five-year deal with a two-year opt-out, the Mets countered with their own headline-grabber-without needing to poach the outfielder themselves.
Credit where it’s due: Steve Cohen and David Stearns didn’t wait for the market to come to them. They cleaned house after a brutal 2025 and have now added a legitimate difference-maker to the top of their rotation. It’s not a perfect roster, but this is a team that’s clearly trying to build something more stable-and more dangerous-for 2026.
As for the Yankees, the search continues. With Peralta off the board, they’ll likely pivot to depth options in the rotation, a bullpen arm, and a right-handed catcher.
It’s not the first time they’ve missed out on a top-tier starter, and it probably won’t be the last. But in this case, it wasn’t about effort-it was about assets.
The Mets had the chips. The Yankees didn’t.
And now, one of the most coveted arms of the offseason is heading to Queens.