A new rumor has offered some surprising insight into what is currently stopping the New York Mets from completing a blockbuster trade for Milwaukee Brewers ace Freddy Peralta.
For many NY Mets fans, this was viewed as a very disappointing and frustrating offseason until recently. It all started when four core members of their team over the last few years departed in trades or free agency, including All-Stars Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz.
Making matters worse for team supporters is that the additions to replace those players didn’t really excite fans. However, over the last week, the NY Mets have started to get very active. After coming up short in the Kyle Tucker sweepstakes, they responded to that failure by giving Toronto Blue Jays All-Star Bo Bichette a three year-deal worth $126 million.
While Bichette added another big bat to the lineup, it still did not address the club’s reported desire to get a veteran impact player for the outfield and a front-line starter. However, on Tuesday night, they added to the outfield when they acquired Chicago White Sox one-time All-Star Luis Robert Jr.
The NY Mets’ latest move leaves adding a frontline starter on their to-do list. Over the last few months, the team has been linked to various players on the trade and free agent market. One of the most prominent is two-time All-Star Freddy Peralta.
NY Mets unwilling to include Jonah Tong in Freddy Peralta trade
Most have assumed a deal hasn’t been made yet because the Brewers probably have a very high asking price for their top pitcher. However, according to MLB reporter Michael Marino, “Jonah Tong’s name briefly came up in talks,” but the Mets quickly shut down that idea. Then the Brewers made an offer that included Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams. New York again turned down that offer.
Tong, Sproat, and Williams are three of the top five players in the NY Mets farm system. However, they aren’t their top two. That is Nolan McLean and Carson Benge. For a player the level of Peralta, it seems like the trio of prospects would probably be worth giving up in a trade.
Another key factor is the fact that Peralta is in the final year of his contract and will get a huge raise in free agency after the season if he has another year like 2025. If he were locked into multiple years, that might make New York willing to give up some of their most prized prospects.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are reportedly making an aggressive push to acquire Peralta.
