Freddy Peralta Admits 'Surprised' Mets First Impression

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The New York Mets didn't just trade for Freddy Peralta because they needed another ace to pair with Nolan McLean at the top of their rotation.
That was a huge factor in President of Baseball Operations David Stearns doing so, of course. But the Mets needed a leader on the pitching staff and in the clubhouse just as much as they needed another proven producer on the mound, and Peralta fits that mold seamlessly.
Read more: Tobias Myers' Verdict on Freddy Peralta's Leadership Speaks Volumes
However, a pitcher moving to a completely new team is easier said than done. Peralta had spent his entire professional career in the Brewers' organization, and making a transition after that long can be difficult.

Because of this, it's important that Peralta feels welcomed and in the loop with his new club in terms of both baseball matters and clubhouse camaraderie.
Freddy Peralta Gets Honest About Mets Arrival
Peralta spoke with Mike Puma of the New York Post for a February 9 article and spoke about how his first two days in the Mets' Port St. Lucie spring training facility have gone.
“When I got over here, they knew all my stuff and a lot of things that I got surprised by, but that’s good,” Peralta said when speaking about all the information the Mets have provided him since he arrived in Port St. Lucie.
Freddy Peralta’s Mets acclimation takes its first spring training step https://t.co/HNBqGawrwP pic.twitter.com/lxAH28YxRb
— New York Post (@nypost) February 10, 2026
He also added, “It’s been very comfortable, because they have been asking me how I do things and how I do my stuff, what I have been doing and we just communicate all that. We have been working together. It’s not like, ‘We have this new idea, and I think you can do this now.’ It’s been very nice and easy. I feel happy about that because they are not trying to change somebody. They are just trying to communicate and it will help to keep me doing what I have been doing.”
Peralta also addressed his welcome in New York's clubhouse, saying, “I know a lot of guys here and we’ve never played together, but we have been seeing each other during the season and we’ve been playing many times and it’s awesome, man. I have been getting a lot of love from everybody.”
It will be fun to see how Peralta acclimates to the Mets' roster and whether the clubhouse molds itself to his charismatic personality.
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Grant Young covers the New York Mets and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.