NY Mets players can’t stop talking about how great Freddy Peralta is

The New York Mets traded for Freddy Peralta because of what he can do alone on the mound every fifth day. But it's Peralta's impact on his teammates, not his individual prowess, that is generating buzz so far in Mets camp.

At 29 years old and with eight MLB seasons in the rearview, Peralta is both at the start of his prime and the beneficiary of experience. He's at the peak of his baseball powers, but he's also a source of knowledge for New York's younger pitchers to learn from.

And it sounds like Freddy is more than willing to share his store of information with New York's up-and-coming arms.

Freddy Peralta receives praise from new Mets teammates

Highly-touted right-hander Nolan McLean was among the Mets to give Peralta rave reviews in recent days. McLean suggested that Freddy has already been showering the Mets' staff with wisdom.

Tobias Myers, who was with Peralta in Milwaukee, talked about how Freddy has taken him under his wing since the start of his career. Myers's testimony shows that Peralta isn't simply playing a part to impress his new teammates. This is who he actually is.

It's not just about Peralta's impact on the younger players, either. Clay Holmes, who is three years Peralta's senior, spoke glowingly about Freddy's energy. This was another reminder that Peralta is still on the front end of his prime. He's old enough to impart wisdom that a guy like McLean will benefit from, but he's still a relatively young pitcher himself.

Pitchers like McLean and Jonah Tong should soak up all of the knowledge they can from Peralta while he's still in Queens.

With Freddy on an expiring deal, his future as a Met beyond this season is shrouded in doubt. There's a real chance that he'll price himself out of New York, especially if he has another season like last year, in which he finished No. 5 in National League Cy Young voting.

Peralta has a chance to be the second-most valuable starting pitcher on the free-agent market. And with the Mets expected to bring the Brink's truck out for the first (Tarik Skubal), Peralta would land elsewhere in that scenario.

Though Freddy's time in New York might be brief, the Mets are hoping he provides stability to their rotation through not only his talent but also his durability. Peralta made 30 or more starts in each of the last three seasons for the Brewers.