Brewers trade Peralta to Mets in 4-player deal

The New York Mets finally found their ace.

New York acquired two-time All-Star right-hander Freddy Peralta from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for top prospects Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat, the teams announced Wednesday.

The Mets also received right-hander Tobias Myers in the deal.

Peralta will earn $8 million in 2026 after the Brewers picked up the club option on his contract in November. The 29-year-old will be a free agent next winter.

Until then, he'll serve as the Mets' No. 1 starter, giving the rotation the anchor it desperately needed. Peralta's coming off a career-best season in Milwaukee, where he posted a 2.70 ERA, 3.64 FIP, and 1.07 WHIP along with 204 strikeouts and an NL-best 17 wins over 33 starts. For his efforts, the Dominican native finished fifth in NL Cy Young voting.

Since making his big-league debut in 2018, Peralta has been a mainstay in the Brewers' rotation throughout the first half of this decade. He's one of only two pitchers, along with the Toronto Blue Jays' Dylan Cease, to record 200-plus strikeouts in each of the last three seasons, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com.

Peralta's also familiar to Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns, who was the Brewers' general manager during most of Peralta's tenure in Wisconsin. Stearns initially traded for Peralta, then a Seattle Mariners prospect, in December 2015 and signed him to his current $15.5-million contract in 2020.

"Acquiring Freddy adds another established starter to help lead our rotation. Throughout the offseason, we sought to complement our rotation with another front-end pitcher, and we're thrilled we are able to bring Freddy to the Mets," Stearns said, per SNY.

Mets' projected 2026 rotation

Acquiring Peralta completes a busy week for the Mets. The club also recently signed star infielder Bo Bichette to a $126-million contract and added former All-Star outfielder Luis Robert Jr. in a trade with the Chicago White Sox.

The Mets beat out a crowded field of suitors, including the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, and Boston Red Sox, to land Peralta.

Meanwhile, Milwaukee receives two of New York's top young players in the deal. Williams and Sproat were ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Mets' No. 3 and No. 5 prospects, respectively, prior to the trade.

Williams, 22, was the Mets' first-round pick (14th overall) in 2022. The Dallas native split his 2025 season between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse, hitting a combined .261/.363/.465 with 17 homers, 52 RBIs, and 34 stolen bases across 486 plate appearances. Listed at just 5-foot-7, Williams is a versatile talent, with experience playing second base, shortstop, and center field.

Sproat, a right-handed pitcher, made his big-league debut late last campaign. In four September starts for the Mets, the 22-year-old put up a 4.79 ERA with 17 strikeouts. He spent most of 2025 in Triple-A, where he posted a 4.24 ERA and 124 WHIP with 113 strikeouts and 53 walks across 26 appearances (25 starts).

Myers owns a lifetime 3.15 ERA and 1.22 WHIP with 165 strikeouts and 51 walks over 188 2/3 big-league innings since 2024. The 27-year-old spent his rookie season in Milwaukee's rotation before the club used him as both a starter and reliever this past year. He has one minor-league option left and won't reach free agency until 2030.

To make room for Myers on the 40-man roster, New York designated right-hander Cooper Criswell for assignment.