Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Freddy Peralta (51) enjoys a moment on June 27, 2025. Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

How Freddy Peralta Will Fit in Mets Clubhouse

Originally posted on New York Mets on SI | By Grant Young | Last updated Jan 22, 2026 3:00 PM ET

On the night of January 21, news broke that the New York Mets completed a trade for former Milwaukee Brewers ace Freddy Peralta. The Mets also acquired right-handed pitcher Tobias Myers in the deal while sending top prospects Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat to Milwaukee.

This is an obvious win for the Mets on the surface. While Sproat and Williams are promising future pieces, the bottom line is that New York is trying to win right now. And Peralta (who is coming off a 2025 regular season campaign where he went 17-6 with a 2.70 ERA and 204 strikeouts in 176.2 innings pitched (33 starts)) will make more of a positive impact on the field this upcoming season than Sproat or Williams would have.

But perhaps the most important question regarding Peralta is how he will fit in the Mets' clubhouse. It's no secret that New York had a lot of chemistry questions regarding their locker room during the 2025 campaign, and various reports have suggested that this disconnect was a contributing factor to the team's collapse during the season's second half.

Mets Manager Carlos Mendoza and President of Baseball Operations David Stearns have downplayed these locker room concerns when speaking publicly. Yet, the moves they've made this winter to get rid of several team leaders (trading Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil and letting Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz walk in free agency) show that they also felt like the team needed a fresh start in that regard.

Freddy Peralta's Positive Clubhouse Impact

All indications are that Peralta is a fantastic locker room presence and that he goes out of his way to serve as a mentor and leader for younger players to follow.

Peralta's teammates have spoken very highly of him, the media has nothing but good things to say, and David Stearns surely got a feel for Peralta's personality during his own time with the Brewers. And the fact that he sought him out in a trade shows that Stearns thinks highly of Peralta's character.

Everyone on the Brewers knew where they were going following a day game in Milwaukee...

Freddy Peralta's house

(via @MLB, h/t @runwildkian) pic.twitter.com/EOpfNrA644
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) January 22, 2026

He certainly has an infectious smile that seems somewhat similar to that of Francisco Lindor.

Peralta is expected to be the new leader of the Mets' pitching staff on the field, and will likely start for them on Opening Day if he's healthy and available. But it seems that he could also become their leader off the field, if the positive reports about him prove to be true.

This article first appeared on New York Mets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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