Former NY Mets player has a chance to be a more coveted free agent than we ever thought

David Peterson's journey from surprising All-Star to rudderless trade chip was a rapid one, as it took him less than one year to fall out of the New York Mets' good graces. They flipped him to the Chicago Cubs in June when it became clear their early season funk was more than a slump, getting a solid prospect (Cole Mathis) in exchange, though it still stung to part with one of the organization's best stories in recent memory.

Still, the decision was understandable. Peterson had been bumped from the Mets' rotation multiple times throughout the first few months of the campaign, pitching to a 6.09 ERA in his hybrid starting/relief role. Getting anything of note for him was smart business by David Stearns.

However, he got a lot more comfortable in Chicago, enjoying the benefits of pitching in front of the Cubs' best-in-class defense. Even though his FIP actually got worse comapred to his time in Queens (4.06 compared to 3.85), his ERA improved dramatically to 3.70 as the left-handed handled key innings for a depleted pitching staff during the Wild Card race.

He now enters free agency with that bounce-back effort fresh in everyone's mind. It could lead him to a pretty sizable payday from a pitching-needy contender.

David Peterson has earned himself a nice raise, which will keep him out of the Mets' crosshairs this offseason

Here's a fun fact: Among all free-agents-to-be this offseason, Peterson ranks 11th in the starting pitcher group in fWAR since the start of the 2025 season. A lot of that (3.1) was racked up during his All-Star campaign last year, but he also accrued 1.0 fWAR in 80⅓ innings with the Cubs down the stretch this year.

A 31-year-old with that kind of recent success is going to command a lot of attention on the open market, especially since he can pitch both as a starter and a reliever. He obviously falls well short of the top tiers of available starters -- guys like Tarik Skubal, Sonny Gray, and old friend Freddy Peralta will be much more coveted -- but Peterson, who can't be extended a qualifying offer, shouldn't have much issue negotiating a multi-year deal.

Of course, all of this might make it seem like these two sides should run it back and try to move past whatever went wrong this spring. However, despite the Mets' need for pitching and seemingly non-existent budget, don't expect a reunion here. Their sights will be set much higher, whether they land Skubal or not. With Nolan McLean, Zac Thornton, and Christian Scott in place, what they need is a true ace. Depth is great, but at the price Peterson will be asking for, Stearns can find cheaper options with similar upside.

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