Ranking 3 Tarik Skubal trade alternatives for the NY Mets to pursue

2) Freddy Peralta

One of David Stearns' first orders of business when he ascended to the role of Milwaukee Brewers general manager back in 2015 was to swing a trade for the then-19-year-old Freddy Peralta. To say the connection runs deep is an understatement.

In the decade since, Peralta has proven Stearns to be a wise man. Adam Lind, the player Stearns sent to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for Peralta and a couple of other prospects, posted a -0.1 fWAR in his lone season in the Pacific Northwest. He'd be out of baseball following the 2017 season.

Peralta, meanwhile, made his big league debut in 2018 with a promising showing, posting a 4.25 ERA in 78.1 innings of work. It wasn't until after the pandemic-shortened 2020 season that he really took off, though.

In 2021, Peralta tossed 144.1 innings with a 2.81 ERA and a dominant 12.16 K/9. From there, he typically sat in the mid-3 ERA range, proving to be a reliable top-of-the-rotation arm.

In 2025, he hit new heights, recording a career-high 176.2 innings pitched and a career-best 2.70 ERA. While he might not have the same raw stuff as a guy like Hunter Greene, Peralta is capable of leading a rotation to success.

Despite the impressive track record, he'll be much more economical to swing a trade for than either Skubal or even Greene. The reason for that, however, is the reason why he's not the best fit for Stearns and the Mets.

Peralta is essentially a rental, just like Skubal. He'll be playing under an $8 million club option, which makes him cheap for 2026, but he'll be eligible to hit free agency next offseason. With his track record, he'll command the type of lavish deals that Stearns has long avoided with starters.

Would Stearns's connection with him overrule that? Who can tell? What is certain is that the roadblocks to a Skubal trade are present with Peralta as well, just on a smaller scale. The trade-off is, you get a very good top-of-the-rotation arm in Peralta versus a truly elite one in Skubal. If you're going to go that route, might as well just pony up for the big dog then.