Mets Have Internal Deadline to Trade Freddy Peralta, Major Contender Linked

The New York Mets have a big decision to make on ace starting pitcher Freddy Peralta. They managed to win the sweepstakes this past offseason to land him in a trade from the Milwaukee Brewers. But now they need to figure out what to do with him going forward.

Peralta is a pending free agent after the season, and it seems like the two sides are not going to be able to come to an agreement on an extension before then. Peralta wants to go super long-term, but Mets GM David Stearns is no fan of doing that with pitchers.

On top of that, the Mets have come stumbling out of the gate, and at 14-23, are tied for the worst record in the National League. They're already 11.5 games out of first place in their division, and 6.5 back in the Wild Card chase.

According to insider Bruce Levine, the Mets have set an internal deadline of June 1st (just over three weeks from now) to either get back into the race, or pull the trigger and trade Peralta.

And he says the Chicago Cubs are one team that would be highly interested in the latter possibility.

The Cubs are one of the teams that have talked to the Mets about acquiring RHP Freddy Peralta, per @MLBBruceLevine.

Levine says June 1st is a target time for the Mets to either get back in the race or move impending FA Peralta. pic.twitter.com/BDOKd6hzGz
— Cubs Zone (@CubsZone) May 8, 2026

Mets' Peralta and Cubs manager Counsell 'share a mutual bond'

There's a natural connection there, in that Cubs manager Craig Counsell was the longtime manager of the Brewers when Peralta came up to the majors. Counsell broke Peralta in slowly out of the bullpen, and then watched as he became a two-time All-Star in his rotation for several years.

Levine says Peralta and Counsell "share a mutual bond."

In his eight seasons in Milwaukee, where he got the nickname Fastball Freddy, Peralta posted a 70-42 record with a 3.59 ERA across 211 appearances, while recording 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings.

With the Mets this season, Peralta has a 3.12 ERA, with nine Ks per nine. He would be one of the top starters on the trade market—if not at THE TOP—if New York goes in that direction.

The Cubs are desperately in need of another high-end arm for their rotation. Cade Horton is out for the year, Matthew Boyd is set to undergo meniscus surgery, and former ace Justin Steele won't be returning until at least after the All-Star break.

The Cubbies have already been tied to two other notable names on the pitching market, but Peralta would almost certainly be Counsell's first choice.