Freddy Peralta pours cold water on extension talks

The Art of the Corporate Chill

David Stearns is playing this exactly how you’d expect a guy who came from the Milwaukee front office to play it. He’s keeping his cards buried in his chest. Stearns told the media he isn’t going to speculate, which is executive-speak for “I’m not giving his agent more leverage in a press conference.” It’s a smart, if slightly frustrating, dance for a fan base that wants to see the ink dry yesterday. The Mets have the deepest pockets in the league, but Stearns is obsessed with value and won’t be bullied into a premature overpay.

Peralta is echoing that same reserved sentiment. After initially showing a willingness to be extended, he told reporters he needs time to learn the coaches and the organization before talking about the long haul.

That isn’t a rejection of New York; it’s a professional athlete being smart. He’s a guy who just left the only professional home he’s ever known. Moving from the small-market vibes of American Family Field to the high-pressure cooker of Flushing is a massive cultural shift. He needs to see if he likes the commute before he signs up for the next six years of it.

Betting on the Durability Narrative

The real conversation here isn’t about if Peralta is good, because his 2.70 ERA from a year ago screams elite. The conversation is about whether his arm is going to hold up through a massive nine-figure deal. For years, the knock on Peralta was that he was too slight or his delivery was too violent to stay on the mound. He’s shut those critics up lately by posting three consecutive seasons of 30 or more starts. That kind of reliability is exactly what the Mets rotation has lacked since the days of a healthy Jacob deGrom.

Sproat and Williams represent a massive price tag in terms of future potential. If Peralta walks in free agency this winter, this trade can become a bad one for the Stearns era. You simply cannot set fire to that much prospect capital for a six-month rental when you’re supposed to be building a sustainable juggernaut.

Both sides are saying the right, boring things for the microphones right now. Deep down, they both know the goal is a long-term marriage that keeps Peralta in blue and orange through his early thirties.