After being traded from the Milwaukee Brewers to the New York Mets, ace Freddy Peralta is looking to secure his future with the team, which has one of the deepest pockets in the MLB.
Meanwhile, the Atlanta Braves are once again being rumored to sign free agent pitcher Lucas Giolito after Jurickson Profar was suspended for the entire 2026 season after testing positive for exogenous testosterone.
$15,500,000 Star Eyes 7–8 Year Extension
Freddy Peralta knows that the Mets gave up a lot to acquire him via trade from the Brewers. Now he’s leveraging his way into the deal and has already made it known what he expects from his extension talks with the Mets.
He recently told Jon Heyman of New York Post that he’s looking for “seven or eight years” extension.
Interestingly, the Mets haven’t shown much faith in signing pitchers over the last three years. Their notable contract in the pitching department was signing Sean Manaea to a three-year deal last offseason. While they made an offer to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, they were unable to close the deal.
Peralta is entering the final year of his five-year, $15.5 million extension signed with the Brewers in 2020. He’s coming off an excellent 2025 season, recording 17 wins 2.70 ERA, and 204 strikeouts in 33 starts. He will turn 30 this June and was fifth in Cy Young voting last season.
If the Mets want to do a deal with Peralta, they can follow the precedent set when the Philadelphia Phillies signed Aaron Nola to a seven-year, $175 million deal. Nola had a similar profile to Peralta’s now.
According to MLB insider Ken Rosenthal, the Mets and Peralta’s camp will likely engage in extension talks in the weeks leading to Opening Day. Peralta has already been announced as the Mets’ Opening Day starter, which says a lot about how the team is showing faith in the righty.
Braves Linked to Lucas Giolito Amid Jurickson Profar Suspension
The Braves have been forced back to the starting pitching conversation after a roster spot has opened following Jurickson Profar’s suspension in the 2026 season. This was the outfielder’s second PED violation, resulting in a season-long punishment. The suspension also means Profar forfeits his $15 million salary for the season, giving Atlanta additional payroll flexibility.
With the new financial situation, the Braves have the ammunition to go and sign Giolito on a short-term deal.
Even before Opening Day, the Braves have already been dealt a tough hand in their pitching department because of injuries and aging pitchers. Spencer Schwellenbach underwent elbow surgery in February 2026 and will miss at least the first couple of months of the season. Hurston Waldrep also had elbow surgery and will be unavailable early in the season. AJ Smith-Shawver is recovering from Tommy John surgery after a torn UCL.
In Giolito, the Braves get a proven big league arm who had a good season in 2025.
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