The New York Mets didn’t just tweak the roster this winter. They tore it down to the studs and built something louder.
After the 2025 part of the offseason felt like it was stuck in neutral, David Stearns waited. And waited. Then, when the calendar flipped to 2026, he went full demolition crew. Out went franchise staples like Edwin Díaz, Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, and Jeff McNeil. In came a wave of new blood with something to prove and zero nostalgia attached.
It’s jarring. It’s uncomfortable. It might be brilliant.
A New Ace for a New Era
The boldest move of them all was prying Freddy Peralta away from the Milwaukee Brewers. Not cheap. Not subtle. The Mets had to ship out Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams, two prospects scouts actually gush about, not just organizational filler. That’s a real price.
And Stearns didn’t bring Peralta here to be “one of the guys.” He handed him the ball for Opening Day.
Mets insider Anthony DiComo made it official on X: when the Mets face the Pittsburgh Pirates on March 26 at 1:15 p.m. ET, it’ll be Peralta on the mound. Not Kodai. Not Manaea. Not the sentimental pick.
Peralta.
You don’t make that call unless you believe the room belongs to him.
Last season, the right-hander posted a 2.70 ERA, won 17 games, and punched out more than 200 hitters for the third straight year. That’s not a fluke spike. That’s sustained dominance. His strikeout rate hovered around the elite tier again, flirting with 30 percent, and hitters still looked like they were guessing at a carnival booth when he elevated the fastball.
He finished top five in the National League Cy Young voting. That’s ace territory. Period.
The Competition Wasn’t Close
Peralta didn’t just inherit the role because of reputation. He beat out a legitimate group: Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, Clay Holmes, and David Peterson all had arguments. Nolan McLean got a look, too. But arguments aren’t resumes.
Senga has the ghost fork and the flash, Manaea brings veteran stability, and McLean is the ace of the future. None of them stack up to three straight 200-strikeout seasons. None of them just posted a sub-2.75 ERA in the heat of a playoff race.
The Mets aren’t chasing vibes. They’re chasing wins.
And here’s the part that should make Mets fans lean forward a bit: Peralta is in a contract year.
He skipped the World Baseball Classic to stay locked in on his spring routine. No distractions. No extra innings in March. Just work. That’s a pitcher betting on himself in the loudest market in baseball. He knows what a monster season in Queens can mean in free agency. The spotlight isn’t a burden. It’s leverage.
This is the kind of calculated gamble contenders make. You trade real prospects, you absorb the pressure, and you hand the ball to the guy with swing-and-miss stuff when the anthem ends on Opening Day.
The Mets believe they’re one of the strongest teams in the National League. With Peralta at the front, they’re not whispering that belief anymore.
They’re daring the league to argue.