New York Mets Jon Heyman Freddy Peralta is the ideal Mets fit for 2026 — but the future is more complicated By Jon Heyman Published March 6, 2026, 8:30 p.m. ET New York Mets Pitcher Freddy Peralta (51) throws in the second inning against the St. Louis Cardinals during Spring Training at Roger Dean Stadium of the Palm Beaches, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, in Jupiter, Florida. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST PORT ST. LUCIE — Fastball Freddy, as new Met Freddy Peralta is sometimes still called, earned that moniker for coming right at you. What you expected was what you got — it was 96 fastballs in 98 pitches in his memorable MLB debut by Fastball Freddy’s own unofficial count. And what the Mets got in Peralta appears to be the near-perfect* pickup.
(*Terrible timing is the one issue for both parties. He’s a free agent after 2026, and Fastball Freddy lived up to his nickname, telling The Post he’d like a deal for “seven or eight” years. But while he may well deserve that off his fifth-place Cy Young season of 2025, teams are operating without knowing future rules since the CBA also expires after this season, making long-term deals dicey.)
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It certainly would be nice to fulfill his wish and keep him around long term. But for 2026, anyway, Peralta was a Mets necessity.
Eight years after his first MLB foray, he’s mostly outgrown that sobriquet, adding deception and forming a full repertoire. He arrives here not quite 30 but in his prime, bringing maturity and ace-level performance to a team that desperately needed a boost following its disastrous 2025.
