NEW YORK, NY — A lot can change in the matter of 24 hours.
Heading into the week, less than a month out from pitchers and catchers reporting, the Mets’ 2026 roster contained many question marks, especially at the top of the starting pitching department and the same in center field as well as with their bats.
Late Tuesday night, to help resolve the second and third issue, the White Sox and Mets agreed to a trade, which sent right-handed hitting center fielder Luis Robert Jr. to Queens in exchange for infielder Luisangel Acuña and RHP Truman Pauley, who was selected by the Mets in the 12th round of 2025 MLB Draft—bolstering New York’s lineup while reshaping their outfield/lineup alignment.
And then, just about 24 hours on the dot Wednesday evening, the Brewers and Mets reportedly finalized a deal headlined by right-handed ace and 2024 National League LatinoMVP Starting Pitcher of the Year Award winner Freddy Peralta.
Freddy Peralta receiving the 2024 NL LatinoMVP Starting Pitcher of the Year Award at American Family Field from Latino Sports president and founder Julio Pabón during Hispanic Heritage Month – Image Credit: Milwaukee Brewers/MLB
Milwaukee, who Mets’ president of baseball operations David Stearns led at the helm from 2015-2020 as their general manager and worked different roles in the front office from 2021-2023, received two of New York’s top-five prospects in infielder/outfielder Jett Williams (No. 3) and RHP Brandon Sproat (No. 5) back for RHP Tobias Myers and Peralta in the trade.
During the start of Stearns’ stint in Milwaukee in 2015, he acquired a 19-year-old Peralta from the Seattle Mariners and over a decade later, now an established frontline MLB starter at the age of 29, he did it once again.
And this time, acquiring Peralta solidifies the top of the Mets’ starting rotation as the native of Moca, Dominican Republic joins a staff of RHP Nolan McLean, LHP David Peterson, RHP Clay Holmes, LHP Sean Manaea, and RHP Kodai Senga.
Peralta, posting a 2.70 ERA with a 17-6 record and 204 strikeouts last season across 33 starts, is set to be a free agent after the 2026 season, so the question now becomes if the Mets will attempt to negotiate a contract extension with him and his camp prior.
With the trade for Robert Jr., the Mets added proven power in their lineup behind Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto and Bo Bichette, speed on the bases and gold glove caliber defense in the outfield—despite the Cuban’s injury concerns—110 games in 2025 and 100 games in 2024 following a healthy 2023 All-Star campaign (145 games) where he slugged 38 home runs and recorded a .264 batting average with 80 RBI and 20 stolen bases.
Luis Robert Jr. was a finalist for the 2023 American League LatinoMVP Award and took the time to sit down with Latino Sports to highlight the awards in a previous interview – Image Credit: Latino Sports
In his last time out across the 2025 season with the White Sox, the 28-year-old right-handed slugger from Ciego de Avila, Cuba, slashed .223/.297/.364 with 14 home runs, 53 RBI and 33 stolen bases. Robert Jr. will earn $20 million for 2026 and in 2027, his contract includes a club-option of $20 million with a $2 million buyout.
2026 Projected Mets Lineup
SS Francisco Lindor
RF Juan Soto
3B Bo Bichette
1B Jorge Polanco
DH Brett Baty
C Francisco Álvarez
CF Luis Robert Jr.
2B Marcus Semien
LF Carson Benge
Aside from the additions of Robert Jr. and Peralta in a span of 24 hours, the Mets also made the three-year/$126 million signing of Bichette official on Tuesday and held a introductory press conference with the 27-year-old star infielder Wednesday afternoon at Citi Field. His contract contains player options after each of the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
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