David Stearns is finally acting like the guy who holds the biggest wallet in the room, and frankly, it is about time. For weeks, we watched the New York Mets wander through the offseason like a team that forgot they had a skyscraper to build, but Wednesday night changed the entire complexion of the 2026 season. Sending Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams to Milwaukee for Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers isn’t just a trade; it is a hostile takeover of the NL East’s top tier.
The Price of Greatness Is Never Cheap
Look, nobody likes seeing kids like Sproat and Williams walk out the door. Sproat’s 97 mph heater is a weapon, and Williams is a spark plug that any lineup would love to have. But prospects are just lottery tickets until they actually cash in, and right now, the Mets are in the business of winning games, not collecting “what-ifs.” You don’t pass up a guy like Peralta because you’re worried about a kid who might hit .260 in two years.
Peralta is coming off a 2025 campaign where he was flat-out clinical. Seventeen wins, a 2.70 ERA, and 204 strikeouts don’t happen by accident. He is 29 years old, squarely in his prime, and he has the kind of high-spin four-seamer that makes professional hitters look like they’re swinging underwater. He stayed healthy for a full workload of 176.2 innings last year, proving he’s not just a five-inning specialist anymore.
A Rotation With Real Teeth
Before this deal, the Mets’ rotation felt like a collection of talented question marks. Now, you’ve got Peralta and Kodai Senga at the top, followed by the emerging Nolan McLean, who looked like a total stud at the end of last season. Add in guys like David Peterson and Clay Holmes, and suddenly this isn’t a staff you want to see in a short playoff series.
Tobias Myers is the sneaky part of this deal that people are going to overlook. He threw nearly 190 innings of solid ball for the Brewers over the last two seasons and possesses a splitter that generates whiffs at a 40% clip. He is the perfect bridge or spot starter to keep the high-leverage arms fresh. This is the kind of roster depth that separated the Mets from the true contenders last year.
The Lindor Blueprint Reborn
The most exciting part isn’t just the 2026 season, though. Reports from Pat Ragazzo suggest Peralta is actually open to staying in Queens long-term. We have seen this movie before. Back in 2021, Steve Cohen traded for Francisco Lindor and locked him up with a massive extension before he ever took a meaningful swing in a Mets uniform.
Peralta is currently on an $8 million club option, which is essentially pocket change for this front office. If they can sit down and hammer out a deal before the first pitch of April, they’ve secured an ace for the next half-decade. It signals to the rest of the league that the Mets aren’t just renting talent; they are building a destination.
The vibe around Citi Field has shifted in forty-eight hours from “here we go again” to “let’s get it started.” Between the Bo Bichette signing, the Luis Robert Jr. trade, and now landing a legitimate Cy Young contender, the Mets have stopped talking about being a powerhouse and actually started behaving like one. It was an expensive trade, sure, but banners aren’t cheap.