Overview
- Ken Rosenthal reports there have been no substantive negotiations to date, and Peralta has publicly said he prefers a multi-year deal to finish his career in one place.
- Stearns has largely avoided pitcher guarantees beyond three years in both Milwaukee and New York, setting up contract length as the primary hurdle.
- Peralta is set to earn $8 million in 2026 and would reach free agency after the season following a 2025 campaign with a 2.70 ERA and 204 strikeouts.
- The Mets traded top prospects Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat to acquire Peralta, raising the stakes for keeping him beyond 2026.
- Talks are expected to pick up later in the year as he settles in, and a widely circulated four-year, $112 million figure is a media projection rather than a reported offer; the Mets have named him their Opening Day starter against the Pirates.