Mets' Freddy Peralta unquestioned leader of rotation looking to stabilize in 2026
Right now, this is Freddy Peralta's show.
Forget for a moment that he's a rental — though there was murmuring of a contract extension, none came to fruition by Opening Day. Forget, too, that he's a very new face in this clubhouse, acquired from the Brewers just this past January.
What matters when the Mets take on the Pirates at Citi Field Thursday is this: Manager Carlos Mendoza named Peralta his Opening Day starter basically as soon he had the option. Now, it's Peralta's responsibility to lead in two ways that are distinctly important to this team.
First, he has to headline and stabilize a rotation that fell into tatters last season, and that, in the latter half, was in desperate need of a durable stopper. And second, he’s expected to help usher in this dizzying rash of new players — the result of David Stearns’ controlled detonation of last year’s roster.
“That’s a goal for me personally to help others stay tied together, [from] day one to the last day of the season,” Peralta said Wednesday during the Mets' warm-up at Citi Field. “Even if I have a good or bad game, it doesn’t matter, I have to be the same guy the next day. [I want to] give [my teammates] the confidence to be able to come to me . . . We’re here together as a family. That’s the best way that I see it. I just try to be myself every day and give them the best of myself and support them inside and outside the field.”
There’s a reason Stearns traded for Peralta twice — the first time when he was with the Brewers — and though his makeup certainly has plenty to do with it, Stearns Wednesday also noted that Peralta is a “really good competitor when he takes the mound.”
“I think that’s the trick with Freddy,” he said. “He can be this genuine, positive individual and then when he takes the mound in front of 45,000 people, he’s as competitive as anyone, and that’s a lot of fun to watch.”
It’s helped take him to new heights. Throughout his career, his numbers and repertoire have landed him in the “very good” category, as opposed to “true ace.”
Last season was a little different: He was an All Star for the second time in his career and came in fifth in Cy Young voting, pitching to a 2.70 ERA over 176 2/3 innings. Peralta is reliable, throwing 165 innings or more in the last three seasons but has had spates of inefficiency that led to short outings because of high pitch counts.
One thing is certain, though, he’s adaptable. And not just on a year-to-year basis. His early scouting reports praise his “pitchability” and that’s been true for the righthander, who’s been known to scrap the game plan if he thinks he spots a weakness.
“I have a game plan and I like to discuss that with the pitching coach, the catcher and all that,” he said earlier this month. “But sometimes I need to change approach. If, in the game plan it says he hits the fastball really well and that’s my best pitch, maybe I’m thinking, I don’t want to throw my fastball or throw it to a different spot or something. But I try to see and if for some reason, if he can’t see my fastball that day, I can tell . . . I have the instinct. Sometimes I can see it. Sometimes it’s not going to work, but most of the time it’s going to work.”
In a way, it’s a good compliment to Nolan McLean, who, while still learning the ropes, has shown flashes of the same type of feel. Coupled with what the Mets hope is a resurgent Kodai Senga, whose fastball tipped into the high 90s during spring training, the top of the Mets' rotation has the pieces to be formidable. They should be deep, too, with David Peterson and Clay Holmes, along with Sean Manaea, whose velocity has ticked down but is expected to begin the season in a piggyback role.
“I’m happy with where we are,” Stearns said. “I believe we have guys on this team that have demonstrated throughout their careers that they can go through tough stretches and bounce back, that moments aren’t too big for them . . . But we’ve got to do it. The fun of a major-league season is finding out when you’re going to do it and I think this team is certainly capable of it and I’m looking forward to it."
Notes & quotes: Lefthander Richard Lovelady and utilityman Jared Young earned the last bullpen and bench spot. Mendoza said he opted for Lovelady because he can pitch multiple innings and be useful against lefties; Young gets the nod for his defensive versatility and lefthanded bat.
Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.
