The Mets paid a fairly significant prospect price to acquire ace Freddy Peralta from Milwaukee in January. A bargain $8MM salary was a big part of his trade value. The Mets surely have some interest in keeping the impending free agent in Queens at what would be significantly higher prices beyond this year.
Although Peralta has expressed openness to extension talks, he’s targeting the kind of contract which the Mets have mostly avoided under president of baseball operations David Stearns. Peralta told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic earlier this week that he was looking for a long-term deal. He was more specific on Friday, telling Jon Heyman of The New York Post he’s seeking “seven or eight years.”
It’d be surprising if the Mets go to that length, at least before Peralta hits the open market. As shown on MLBTR’s Contract Tracker (available to Front Office subscribers), the Mets haven’t signed a pitcher for more than three years since Stearns was hired in 2023.
Last winter’s three-year, $75MM deal with Sean Manaea is their only pitching contract beyond two seasons. They reportedly made a 12-year offer to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but he was an ace coming over from Japan at age 25. It has been a similar setup on the position player side. They were willing to do essentially whatever it took to sign Juan Soto, but they’ve otherwise pursued short-term deals at huge annual rates with their free agent targets.
Stearns has traded for Peralta twice and signed him to a bargain early-career extension when he was running baseball operations in Milwaukee. He understandably loves the player and clearly appreciates what he brings to the clubhouse.
That said, Peralta would be a more typical high-end free agent than a nearly unique case like Soto or Yamamoto. He turns 30 in June, so the first year of an extension or free agent deal would be his age-31 season. He’s an excellent pitcher but is a clear notch below the likes of Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes as the best arms in MLB.
Last season’s fifth-place Cy Young finish was the first time in Peralta’s career that he appeared on ballots. He’s coming off a career-low 2.70 earned run average through 176 2/3 innings. He ranked 11th among starters (minimum 120 innings) with a 28.2% strikeout rate. Peralta hasn’t missed a start in three seasons and ranks 15th in innings pitched during that time.
There’s some recent precedent for a seven-plus year deal with that profile. Aaron Nola commanded seven years and $175MM from the Phillies at the same age in 2023. Nola was extremely durable but didn’t throw as hard as Peralta does and had started to struggle with the home run ball.
Dylan Cease pulled seven years and $210MM (albeit with deferrals dropping the actual value closer to $185MM) from the Blue Jays last offseason. Cease throws a little harder and misses a few more bats than Peralta does, but his start to start efficiency was lacking. Max Fried is the only pitcher in his 30s to sign for eight years within the past decade. He got to $218MM from the Yankees as a lefty with plus stuff who hadn’t allowed an ERA higher than 3.25 in any of the five seasons preceding free agency.
Peralta fits in that group on talent. The difference between his current situation and the aforementioned trio is that he’s still a year away from the open market. Walk year extensions for Luis Castillo and José Berríos landed south of $150MM. Peralta presumably isn’t looking for an annual value in the low $20MM range simply to stretch the length of the contract.
Rosenthal reported on Monday that the sides had yet to seriously broach an extension. They’ll likely have those conversations within the three weeks leading up to the start of the regular season. Whether there’s a long-term deal in place or not, Peralta will make his team debut on Opening Day. Skipper Carlos Mendoza made that unsurprising announcement last week. They’ll host the Pirates (who’ll surely turn the ball to Skenes) in a marquee pitching matchup.
He’s bananas. Sounds like Heyman working for his boss already.
Just saying.
He’s lucky to get 5 years, and an option.
Fyi..Peralta is not a Boras client if that is what you are implying
Doesn’t matter at all. The Mutts are doin shorter contracts now…FYI
Listen I get where you guys are coming from because I certainly wouldn’t give it to him.
That said I don’t think you guys are keeping pace with the market, if he replicates last year he will get 8 years
Not bananas for wanting it. He’ll likely get a six year deal from some team. Likely driven by what’s allowed in the new CBA.
9 years $400m.
Do it Mets!!
/s
Don’t be so cheap! 42 years, $400 billion.
this is the truest contract i have ever seen
Defer $390 billion to 2087
Lmao you’re a dodgers fan alright. Nets would be agupid to do that, but like your angle, that shots funny.
I agree, the Nets would definitely be agupid to do that since he’s a pitcher.
Lmfao I said nets and I appreciate you finding the humor and replying back Nets. Omg lol
Hey they both have two championships. So there’s that.
As he should
He’s made $21 million in his career. Considering what others who produce D make annually I truly understand the sentiment behind the request. I hope he gets it too.
Well it’d be unlike Stearns to even offer him 5 years, though I hope as a Mets fan Stearns goes against his own grain and they offer him a 5-6 year deal.
So which long term deals for a starting pitcher have worked out for the team? I can understand Stearns reluctance. The only recent one I can think of is Scherzer with Washington, and that wasn’t a six year. I can name a whole lot that haven’t. 1-2 years is missed for any with a TJ surgery.
Depends on your definition of worked out…I think most of these deals are signed with the knowledge that the last 2+ years could be awful – and the GM’s don’t care.
Gerrit Cole
I bet he is. Good luck with that.
5/$125 is enough for him, big jump up from his $8 mil
That offer would get an immediate hang up
Yeah, Bo Bichette is worth 3/126m and Freddy Peralta is worth 5/125m to the same team.
Peralta is probably a better pitcher than Bichette is as a hitter. And at worse he is comparable. I expect more teams will be after him then there were for Bo.
When Skubal is asking for 400m and Peralta is at 60% he might even look cheap.
Bo Bichette, signed because the business model means buying all the most expensive ballplayers.
Freddy Peralta, whose previous club moves ballplayers in or near their walk season.
Where else do they go but LOLmets.
Unless he’s injured or has an extremely lousy year Peralta’s going to be everyone’s plan B who miss out on Skubal. I’m guessing an offer of 5/125 wouldn’t just get a hang up, it would be an insurmountable insult.
That is a great effin point about Skubal. His deal will be historic and is going to reset the pitching market for a generation.
Before last year, I could never really figure out why Brewers hadn’t already traded him and also never viewed him as more than a #3 starter on a contender. Let’s see if he is even around to be on any MLB team by start of 2028 season.
Yeah he’ll be around alright. And making $30-35 million a year.
7 or 8 years? 🤨
As a brewer fan, #6-7years ,
See yourself out
Not enough is mentioned about the Brewers stealing Peralta (and two others that did not work out) from the Mariners for a soon to be washed up Adam Lind. That should be up there among the best “sell high” trades of the past decade.
Crazy to give him 7 years. 4 at the most. He hasn’t had TJ surgery yet, either.
So NOT having had TJ surgery is now a negative for pitchers?
As they approach 30, absolutely. Don’t they all get TJ eventually?
No they don’t. But you cannot forget that some of the ones that have had it, have had to have it again. And that is pretty much the end of the line for them.
He will probably get 6/$150 with a vesting option for a 7th year. Stearns is going to have to change his philosophy if he’s not going to throw away Williams/Sproat for 1 year.
If he has another year like the last one, $25M per doesn’t even come close even at six years. Ranger Suarez got $130/5 and Peralta has been more durable.
Suarez deal would have to be the hard floor when looking at possible contract comps IMHO. If he pitches next season like the last I could see him asking for 35M$ per for 8 years.
I could see him asking for 35M$ per for 8 years.
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I seriously doubt anyone pays that. That would cover ages 31-38. I think he’ll age relatively well, but that’s too long.
And Peralta is a better pitcher than Suarez.
Stearns will have to rebuild a rotation year after year because he never gives a deal longer than 3 years. No one likes long term deals for pitchers but he ends up having to go crazy high AAV on short term deals then longer deals that tend to normalize as the market changes over time. So he overpays but has to rebuild the rotation with trade packages and high salaries or, like last year, by just adding mediocre starters.
I think the lack of true #1 aces on the market is preventing him from making longer offers during his Mets tenure. I’m willing to bet a lot that the Mets will be in on Skubal.
That does bring up the question if Skubal is looking for years or to maximize in the short run. If he wants to try his luck at a 2-3 year deal and Valdez got close to $40M this year… I can only imagine what a bidding war between the Mets and Dodgers will end up as.
@Sab Skubal should easily crush Yamamoto’s and Cole’s guaranteed contract totals. I don’t think he will pass on $350M+ to take roughly half of that for a short-term deal.
Might just but he’ll be 30 when he hits free agency. So any anything more than 6 years guaranteed is super risky. I’d go 6 years with a 7th year option that automatically kicks in if he wins a cy young award within the first 4 years. An opt out kicks in after 4 years if he gets 500 batters within that 4 year span. If he doesn’t opt out he get an automatic bonus of 5mil dollars added to each remaining year on the contract.
I know that those are all improbable incentives but you never know.
I think if he wants a long term deal that will break records he’ll get it. But if he thinks he can get another contract after a 2 year deal at a ridiculous rate, would he accept that. That’s my question.
Tucker is getting 55 million next year. Skubal is in the conversation for best starter the game. If the Mets really only want him for 2 years what would they bid? 80 million a year? 90? Sure, it sounds ridiculous but again, Tucker’s contract would have been unthinkable before this offseason.
It’s a shame that Manfred is pretty much completely checked out to void another massive contract from the Dodgers. I’m not sure he would do anything to prevent them from having their 2 Billion dollar payroll if he wasn’t checked out. He doesn’t have the balls to do anything.
We are already seeing the pitching lab working over there, in a couple years they will be churning out mid to back end starters every year. He built the pitching lab in Milwaukee, and it seems hes done at least as well in New York, it just takes awhile to build up the depth.
I’m seeking a date with Sydney Sweeney, we all have dreams
And his will come true.
Just go down to your local Applebee’s and look for the 4th hottest waitress. That’d be about the same as Sweeney.
6/160 with a club option 25 mil club option or 8 mil buyout. 28 a year. Make it happen. Can’t be buying pitcher every year. Lock him up with McLean and hopefully to grad in hand for all 6 years. Got manaea for one more and maybe some other surprises from Scott and others.
Brush up on your Japanese and grab your chopsticks Freddy . If you don’t mind deferred money you’ll probably be wearing Dodger Blue in 27 assuming there isn’t a work stoppage. It’s a great gig. Get paid for the next 10+ years while spending 1/2 the season rehabbing an injury with half the pitching staff at Camelback Ranch in AZ.
Stearns only has 1 luxury suite available and it’s being offered to Mr Skubal.
If he goes close to last years numbers he’s pulling 6/180 minimum, probs 6/200 or more.
No reason he shouldn’t ask for 6-8 years, as long as the AAV he’s asking for isn’t at an absurd level.
That would be the trade off. Does he want more long term security, or a higher salary up front and then go chase another deal later? An 8 year contract probably carries him until retirement or close to it, but the money would have to spread around more so that the team can keep building around him. Might front load it in case a hard cap comes with the new CBA. He’s turning 30 soon. A 5 year deal would pay a higher salary, after which he hits the market again at 35 which still potentially gives him another chance to sign a decent contract assuming health and effectiveness.
Anything more than 6 years is too long for a pitcher.
Kinda a lil rough calling this season his age 31 when his 31st birthday is in June. He deserves a 7 year contract. If he has as good or likely better 2026 season 8 years isnt foolish. Getting to pitch in NL Least he’s likely seeing his numbers improve.
If you’re a player born before a certain date midseason, they count it as the age you turn that year.
I think he gets 7/215 if he signed a deal today. Just a tick over $30M AAV, but the long term security is what he wants so he may have to sacrifice a little bit of annual earnings to get that. Probably gets more if he holds out until free agency though. He’s about as good as Framber Valdez, who is making 3/115 (almost $36M per). Their career stats are similar, and they’re both really durable.
There’s just another example of how Dylan Cease is not overpaid, as so many of you seem to think. Sean Manaea is getting $25 million yearly. If he makes that much then Cease is worth $35 million.
Gotta keep reminding people that starting pitcher salaries are just like this now. Skubal is gonna make a salary that rivals Juan Soto next winter and we’re all gonna accept it as the norm.
“Next winter” may never come should the Lords of Baseball follow through and lock out the union.
They will lock them out, that’s a guarantee…but it’ll be for 90 days and then we’ll have a full season again. What you’re hoping for isn’t going to happen.
Lol
Okay 8/140M .
Pitchers have to realize this ain’t happening anymore just have to go for the high annual salary but hey you can shoot for the world
If Skubal leaves Detroit next offseason I could see them making a play for Peralta and resigning Flaherty or Mize (depending on how they pitch this year). A top 5 of Valdez, Peralta, Flaherty or Mize, Jobe and Melton, Anderson or Keider should be pretty good, with Olson coming back at some point.
He’s around 7-$203. $29 a season and I wouldn’t go a penny higher. He’s a solid pitcher he’s not top tier 1 pitcher. But having given the president lg B.O a deal once in Milwaukee and he’s now in N.Y. you won’t get that deal again.
He’s a solid pitcher he’s not top tier 1 pitcher.
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I don’t remember anyone else posting this, and I agree. He’s a terrific pitcher and had a great year. But his FIP over the past three years was 3.85, 4.16 & 3.64. That’s #1 territory, but certainly not ace territory.
That said, Shea is a good park for SPs with a high HR/9 totals.
Shea?!
He will get 6 years, but it won’t be with the Mets.
I could see a 7 year contract with the 1st 4 being in the $35 mm range, and the last 3 in the low $20 mm range, with an opt-out after the 1st 4 years.
He reminds me a little of Felix Hernandez minus the huge innings. I’d give him 7 years but at a reasonable per season average and no opt outs. It better positions the team to manage their investment and the contract cost will normalize over time. He’s been nothing but consistent, doesn’t rely on velocity that much and hasn’t shown anything to be alarmed. Sure, his chances increase as he continues to pitch at his level and gets older but that’s applied to all pitchers for the most part.