Matt Johnson
The New York Mets paid a premium this offseason to acquire All-Star starting pitcher Freddy Peralta from the Milwaukee Brewers, parting ways with Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat to bolster the rotation. There’s going to be another massive price to pay for the club to keep him long-term, and things aren’t looking good.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, negotiations on a contract extension with Peralta are far enough apart that the Mets don’t have much optimism a deal is reached anytime soon. To make matters worse, it appears Peralta’s camp isn’t keen on holding further negotiations during the season.
Peralta, 29, is in the final year of his contract and earning $8 million this season. New York could extend him the qualifying offer before he hits the open market, but Heyman writes that there’s now a real chance the Mets aren’t able to extend him before he tests MLB free agency.
One particular issue between the two sides is likely the length of the new deal. Peralta told The Post that he’s seeking a seven- or eight-year deal that would offer him financial security through his age-37 season. However, the Mets have shown an unwillingness to offer extensions of seven-plus years, especially to starting pitchers who are on the wrong side of 30.
In his Mets’ debut on Opening Day against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Peralta allowed a pair of home runs to second baseman Brandon Lowe, along with 6 hits and 4 total earned runs. Over the last three seasons, he’s compiled a 3.40 ERA with a 614-188 K-BB ratio and has averaged roughly 172 innings pitched per year.
If Peralta reaches MLB free agency, he figures to be in the second tier of available starting pitchers behind Tarik Skubal and in the same territory as Michael King, Sandy Alcantara, and Kevin Gausman. However, the potential for an MLB lockout could delay the timeline for top free agents to land new deals.
