Mets Acquire Ace Peralta, Names Him Opene

Freddy Peralta

Freddy Peralta named Mets' Opening Day starter, will face Pirates on March 26.

Mets acquire Freddy Peralta, name him Opening Day starter...

The New York Mets have named Freddy Peralta as their Opening Day starter, set to take the mound on March 26th against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Peralta, 29, was acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers in a trade this past offseason and will make his Mets debut in the season opener.

Freddy gets the nod 💪 pic.twitter.com/OungMS7hc2

— New York Mets (@Mets) February 27, 2026

Peralta's selection marks his third consecutive Opening Day start, having previously started for the Brewers in 2024 and 2025. He's looking to continue his dominant stretch, with a 1.59 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, and 37.7% strikeout rate in his first starts over the past three years.

Mets' new starter is crushing it, throwing three no-hit innings with 3 Ks and no walks in Spring Training.

Freddy Peralta tossed three perfect innings in his @Mets Spring Training debut 🔥 pic.twitter.com/GU99AmCnKh

— MLB (@MLB) February 27, 2026

The Mets acquired him by trading away top prospects Jett Williams (MLB No. 30) and Brandon Sproat, their No. 5 prospect. Big move, Mets.

Peralta had a breakout season, posting a career-low 2.70 ERA with 204 Ks in 176.2 innings. He's looking like a steal for the Mets.

Peralta's 1.075 WHIP is a career-low for a season with 30+ starts - he's on fire.

He's consistent too, with back-to-back seasons of exactly 10.4 K/9. That kind of dominance is no joke.

All-Star nod and a fifth-place Cy Young finish last season - Peralta's having a meteoric rise! He just keeps getting better 

In 2025, the Mets' starting rotation ranked 18th in ERA (4.13), 20th in strikeouts (766), 9th in hits (747), and gave up the third-most walks (324). Now, with Peralta, the Mets hope the true ace can be just what they need at the head of their rotation. 

New York missed the playoffs last season after finishing with an 83-79 record