Mets trade David Peterson to the Cubs
The Mets received the Cubs 13th ranked prospect for their longest tenured player, who can be a free agent at year's end
With the Mets having lost five games in a row and their starting rotation shattered into pieces, the club made their first major move of the season by trading LHP David Peterson to the Cubs for infield prospect Cole Mathis, according to multiple reports.
Peterson, 30, was the longest tenured Met on the roster before being moved late Wednesday night, having made 147 appearances and 123 starts for the Mets since he made his big league debut in 2020. He is 3-6 with an unsightly 6.09 ERA in 16 appearances and eight starts this season, having lost his regular spot in the rotation by mid-April and serving as a bulk reliever at times while making spot starts out of sheer need since. His most recent start came against the Phillies on Sunday, which was his last appearance with the Mets, during which he allowed four earned runs over four innings.
His best full season came in 2024 after he returned from hip surgery the year before when he went 10-3 with a 2.90 ERA over 121 innings, emerging as one of the Mets’ best starting pitchers during their run to Game 6 of the NLCS that season.
And while he got off to a great start in 2025, he has struggled for most of the last calendar year to the tune of a 6.98 ERA over 25 appearances since August 6, 2025, a span of 109.2 innings pitched since.
The Mets attributed his struggles at the end of the 2025 season to an unprecedented number of innings pitched for Peterson, and believed a rest and reboot during the off-season would serve him well heading into the 2026 season. But Peterson could never get himself right, found himself in the bullpen, and now he finds himself with the Cubs in the visitor’s clubhouse at Citi Field.
Peterson is earning $8.1 million this season in his final year of arbitration. He can be a free agent at the end of the 2026 season.
In Mathis, the Mets are acquiring the Cubs’ 13th-ranked prospect, according to MLB.com. The 22-year-old infielder is hitting .272/.396/.585 with 12 doubles, two triples, ten home runs, and 39 RBI with seven stolen bases, 40 hits, and 36 runs scored in 39 games between Low-A Myrtle Beach and High-A South Bend in 2026. Mathis was originally drafted in the second round of the 2024 MLB draft and is in his second full professional season.
According to the Athletic, the move to deal Peterson does not indicate the Mets are in a full selloff at this time. Having said that, given the Mets are 14.5 games out of the National League East, nine games out of a playoff spot, and 12 games under .500 with about a month to go before the trade deadline, it stands to reason that barring an unforeseen and dramatic turnaround, Peterson is the first shoe to drop as David Stearns and the front office try to pick up the pieces on what has been both a disastrous and embarrassing 2026 season for the organization.
As for what could be next, Freddy Peralta - the Mets’ biggest trade acquisition this past winter and can be a free agent at the end of the season - would be a logical trade candidate, as would Brooks Raley, AJ Minter, and potentially Clay Holmes if there’s a chance he could be back for a meaningful amount of time in the second half. Bo Bichette - who has a player opt-out at the end of the season - could also be a trade candidate ahead of the trade deadline, although it remains to be seen how attractive his contract is for potential suitors over the next several weeks with respect to his overall performance this season.