The New York Mets knew they couldn’t enter 2026 with a rotation built on hopes and prayers, so they went out and acquired a legitimate ace in Freddy Peralta to anchor the staff.
It was a bold, necessary move that instantly transformed their pitching from a question mark into an exclamation point. But the real story isn’t just about Peralta at the top; it is about the electric dynamic he forms with young phenom Nolan McLean.
Together, they give the Mets a “Fire and Ice” combination—one veteran missing bats at an elite clip and one rookie keeping the ball on the ground—that could be the envy of baseball for years to come.
Freddy Peralta Is the Strikeout Artist Queens Has Been Waiting For
Let’s start with the new guy, because Peralta is coming off a season that was nothing short of masterful. The 29-year-old was a force of nature in 2025, posting a sparkling 17-6 record with a 2.70 ERA over 176.2 innings. He didn’t just get outs; he dominated hitters, racking up 204 strikeouts and finishing in the 97th percentile for Pitching Run Value, which basically means he was one of the three or four most valuable arms in the entire sport.
His arsenal is a nightmare to gameplan against. Peralta leans heavily on a four-seam fastball that he throws 53.5% of the time, generating a 22.8% whiff rate despite sitting at a modest 94.8 mph. But the real “checkmate” pitch is his slider. Opposing batters hit a minuscule .157 against it last season, swinging and missing at an absurd 53.4% clip. When Peralta is on the mound, the ball stays in the air, the bats miss the ball, and the scoreboard usually reads zero.
Nolan McLean Is the Heavy-Ball Specialist Who Completes the Puzzle
If Peralta is the artist painting corners, Nolan McLean is the sledgehammer breaking bats. The 24-year-old rookie burst onto the scene with a 2.06 ERA in his first eight starts, showcasing a completely different but equally effective style. While Peralta lives for the strikeout, McLean is a ground-ball machine, inducing worm-burners at an elite 60.2% rate thanks to a heavy sinker he throws nearly 28% of the time.
But don’t let the grounders fool you; the kid has “put away” stuff, too. His curveball might be the single most unfair pitch in the entire organization. In a small sample size, batters hit a laughable .074 against it, whiffing 50% of the time they tried to offer at the hook. He pairs that with a sweeper that held hitters to a .361 average—okay, that one needs work—but his overall pitch mix keeps hitters guessing and keeps the infield defense busy.
This is the perfect complementary duo. You have Peralta, the veteran headliner who attacks the top of the zone and misses bats, followed by McLean, the young bully who attacks the bottom of the zone and breaks shins. The Mets didn’t just add an arm; they built a complete rotation that gives opposing managers absolutely no room to breathe.