It just keeps getting worse for Freddy Peralta

Peralta might've made one of his last starts for the Mets, but his season has been an utter disaster

What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️

The Mets were routed by the Brewers in the opener of their three game series in Milwaukee by the score of 8-3 (Box)

• RHP Freddy Peralta made the start for the Mets back in Milwaukee against his former team and struggled mightily, allowing seven earned runs in 5.1 innings

• Bo Bichette was the only Met to have a productive night at the plate, reaching base three times with a single, double, and walk, and scoring a run

• Francisco Lindor and Jorge Polanco each drove in a run in a mini Mets rally in the 8th inning

• RHP Xzavion Curry saved the rest of the Mets bullpen in this one, going the final 2.2 innings and allowing just one run

• Luis Robert, A.J. Ewing, and Brett Baty all struck out three times

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Roster Moves 📰

• OF Luis Robert activated from 60 day IL

• IF Eric Wagaman optioned to Triple-A Syracuse

• IF Zack Short outrighted to Triple-A Syracuse

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Play of the Game 🤷‍♂️

RHP Freddy Peralta’s nightmarish season in Queens hit a new low on Monday night, as starting against his old team in a ballpark he’s very comfortable pitching in, he got himself absolutely shelled. The Brewers pounded Peralta for seven runs on eight hits, but the biggest low came in the third inning.

After falling behind 3-0 early, the Mets had scratched out an unearned run in the third inning to try to steal some momentum. Peralta went out in the bottom of the frame and got the first two hitters out before allowing a Garrett Mitchell double. That set the stage for right-handed slugger Andrew Vaughn to bring the hammer down, with a long two-run homer that broke the game open.

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The Just Mets Podcast 🎙️

ICYMI: Trade season is upon us, and in the latest Patreon episode, Rich and Michael took on the hottest takes the Just Mets faithful had to offer. Enjoy a preview above, and subscribe to our Patreon to hear the full conversation!

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Down on the Farm 🌾

All Mets minor league affiliates were off on Monday

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Today’s Game 🗓

Match-up: Mets (42-59) at Brewers (63-37)

Where: American Family Field - Milwaukee, WI

Starters: LHP Zac Thornton (0-1, 2.60 ERA) vs. RHP Brandon Sproat (3-4, 5.16 ERA)

When: 7:40 PM EDT

Where to Watch: SNY

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Freddy Peralta’s disastrous Queens tenure keeps getting worse ✍️

AP Photo

In late January when the Mets acquired veteran right-hander Freddy Peralta from the Milwaukee Brewers, he was heralded as the club’s missing piece.

Done in by a noncompetitive pitching staff down the stretch in 2025, the Mets were desperate for a frontline ace-level starting pitcher, and when they swung the deal to bring Peralta to Queens, they thought they’d found just that.

With the Brewers a season ago, he’d just won 17 games with a 2.70 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. Opponents hit just .193 against him, he struck out more than 200 hitters for the third straight season, and the 176.2 innings he threw represented a new career high. Peralta seemingly checked every box. But there’s one issue this current Mets front office doesn’t seem to respect quite enough.

Not every player is cut out to play in the media gauntlet that is baseball in the Northeast—particularly New York City. And that is perhaps David Stearns’ biggest whiff when it comes to roster building here, not just with Peralta, but generally speaking. The human element has clearly been discarded with Peralta and arguably others, not at least not taken into account with respect to one’s ability to deal with New York.

Going from being the best pitcher on a good team in a small Midwest market, to being counted on to be the savior of a Mets’ staff that desperately needed a jolt has proven to be too tall of an order.

Peralta’s season has been a struggle seemingly from the jump. His walk and home run rates are both way up. He’s consistently had a devil of a time keeping his pitch count down and has gone seven innings only once.

Metrically, everything about his game is worse year over year, and by a lot. His change-up has been generally non-competitive this season, although everything else in his arsenal has dramatically diminished as well. Interestingly enough, his pitch usage is nearly identical from last year, but the effectiveness of everything but his sweeper has killed his season. There’s unquestionably an element of bad luck built into Peralta’s pitch equation, as the expected batting averages on everything but his slider and sweeper are much, much lower than the actual averages. But, as we know, the actual results ultimately matter over the expected results, and there’s only so much weight that can be put on expected results when things aren’t changing for Peralta.

So, the question is, why? What happened to this guy? Yeah, it could be the New York wow factor, but we are talking about a perennial Cy Young Award candidate turning into someone who is arguably un-pitchable in a matter of 10 months.

There’s been a minimal velocity dip in his fastball from last year. He was closer to 95 mph on average in 2025, whereas he’s been mostly 94-ish on that pitch this season. He’s actually throwing his sweeper 1.4 mph harder on average, but his vertical movement has diminished on that pitch, which has limited its effectiveness. As I said before, his change-up has been his least effective pitch, although he’s getting more horizontal and vertical movement on that than he did a year ago. He’s also getting less movement on his curveball.

Freddy Peralta’s career run value, per StatCast

Last night had to be an emotional start for Peralta, returning to his old stomping grounds at American Family Field, but instead of a triumphant homecoming, he endured another emotional blow.

To his credit, he persevered after a brutal beginning to get through 5.1 innings, but it was still the fourth time in his last eight starts where he allowed five or more earned runs, and his season ERA has ballooned to an ugly 5.01.

Peralta looks frustrated, lost, and uncomfortable, which is understandable on so many different levels. He’s in a new environment in which he’s failed to live up to expectations, his team is one of the sport’s biggest disappointments here in 2026, and he’s on an expiring contract.

With just two weeks to go until the trade deadline, he’s almost certainly entering his final fortnight in Queens, which is likely for the best for both parties.

Peralta needs to go somewhere where he can reset, take a breath, and perhaps get a shot of adrenaline from being back in a race.

From the Mets’ perspective, there were countless discussions from the moment Peralta was acquired about extending him to secure his services for years to come. It’s become clear not pulling the trigger on that long-term deal was a blessing in disguise.

He’s a good pitcher who I wouldn’t be surprised in the least if he ascends back to being a great pitcher in a new situation. And a wonderful and colorful personality. But he’s not going to be an ace in New York, and the Mets need to reassess their processes this winter and find a new ace that has the moxie to make it in our market.

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Around the League 🚩

• Junior Caminero contributed three hits and drove in a pair of runs in the Rays’ 7-1 win north of the border in Toronto

• Caleb Durbin’s 8th inning home run broke a 5-5 tie and led the Red Sox to a one run win over the Orioles at Fenway

• Ozzie Albies and Michael Harris II both homered in the Braves 3-1 victory pver the Padres

• Petey Halpin crushed the first home run of his Major League career in Cleveland’s 13-4 win over the Twins

• Jazz Chisholm Jr. connected on a pair of homers and drove in five runs in the Yankees 8-5 home win against the Pirates

• Trea Turner finished a triple short of the cycle and drove in five runs in the Phillies 10-7 home win over the Dodgers