The New York Mets are handing the ball to Freddy Peralta on Opening Day against the Pittsburgh Pirates. However, the question is, will this be his only season with the Mets, as Peralta is a free agent after the 2026 MLB campaign?
In the offseason, the Mets were looking to bolster their starting rotation after missing the players last season. As a result, David Stearns, the Mets’ president of baseball operations, went out and gave up promising prospects for a player who can anchor their rotation.
Nonetheless, with Peralta turning 30 in June, the question is whether New York wants to pay him to keep him long-term as a pillar of their rotation. On March 25, both Stearns and Peralta were asked about the player’s long-term future.
“I’m not going to comment on any sort of extension or contract talks,” Stearns told reporters.
Meanwhile, Peralta was also quiet regarding his future.
“No comments about that; sorry,” Peralta added (h/t SNY).
Both sides are likely allowing for this season to play out to see where the cards fall. If Peralta performs well as many expect, he will be a hot commodity in the offseason.
As for the Mets, they will be looking to see whether they can get the starting pitcher they saw with the Milwaukee Brewers, as they ponder whether to pay him a lucrative contract. Regardless, it’s a question that will come up throughout the season.
Mets’ Francisco Lindor Talks Freddy Peralta
Recently, Mets’ Francisco Lindor shared his thoughts on having Peralta as a teammate for this campaign regardless of whether it’s only for this season or not.
“I’m very excited,” Lindor told MLB Network on Feb. 20. “This guy has infectious energy. His energy is great. He’s always happy. But when he’s on the mound, he competes. I’ve been on the other side of him dominating, and now I’m glad he’s on our side.
“He’s one of the best pitchers in the game, and the way he handled himself day in and day out, I actually told him [on Feb. 20], I was walking around, I’m like, ‘Man, you haven’t stopped working all day.’ He goes, ‘When you’re going to throw 200-plus innings, you’ve got to work.’ And I’m looking forward to that.”
Freddy Peralta Contract Prediction
If the Mets and Peralta do see a long-term relationship past this season, what would a contract extension look like? SNY’s Jim Duquette shared the contract length and dollar figures he sees the Mets offering the starting pitcher.
“I don’t see the Mets going to five years on anything like that,” Duquette said in a video that SNY published on Jan. 28. “If he was willing to do four years, and if it was around $28 to $30 million, $120 [million] total, that might be in the possibility. He does have an agent that has done deals before [with the Mets].”
Moreover, Duquette doesn’t see the new Mets starting pitcher taking any discount after being on a team-friendly contract during his time with the Brewers.
“There may be a change of rules in 2027 where there’s a salary cap, so you see a lot of short‑term deals,” Duquette added. “That’s primarily what the organization has been focusing on, is short‑term deals, and they also develop pitching well.
“So I think that all has to factor into any type of offer that you make to Freddy Peralta, and you hope that he’s willing to take a discount or a little bit of a discount. But you also know he’s coming off one where it was a steep discount there in Milwaukee.”
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