Mets' Clay Holmes Shares Opinion of Freddy Peralta

New York Mets pitcher Clay Holmes spoke about his new teammate Freddy Peralta.

New York Mets starting pitcher Clay Holmes (35) celebrates with teammates. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

While David Stearns and the rest of the New York Mets’ front office might not want to admit it, they needed to address whatever happened in their clubhouse last season when building their roster this winter.

That’s not to suggest the Mets’ locker room was in a horrible spot or that a complete overhaul was in order. But the various reports and player allusions about some disconnect in the clubhouse cannot be denied.

And they weren’t. Stearns made a concerted effort to change many prominent faces, including trading Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo and more or less letting Edwin Diaz and Pete Alonso walk in free agency. He also seemingly was intentional in replacing those guys with high-character players who have a good clubhouse reputation. This is true with Bo Bichette, with Luke Weaver, and certainly with Freddy Peralta. 

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta (51) reacts on October 4, 2025. | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Clay Holmes' Freddy Peralta Opinion Speaks Volumes

Peralta’s energetic and charismatic personality is apparent to anybody paying attention. And it has also caught Clay Holmes’ attention, which Holmes conveyed when speaking to the media on February 5.

"It's great. [New pitching coach Justin Willard and Freddy Peralta] have a great energy about them," Holmes said, per an X post from SNY. "Both of them. Yeah, Freddy is obviously a special pitcher. And you've heard his reputation, just who he is as a person, as a teammate, the energy he brings to the field.

"It's gonna be a lot of fun getting to pitch aside him, and getting to learn from him," Holmes added.

Clay Holmes says that new pitching coach Justin Willard and Freddy Peralta have a "great energy" about them

"Freddy's obviously a special pitcher and you've heard his reputation, just who he is as a person, as a teammate, the energy he brings to the field." pic.twitter.com/Nr4q3GTyQg

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) February 5, 2026

It's hard to imagine that any player could have a better reputation than what Peralta brings to the Mets in terms of his clubhouse presence.

It will be fascinating to see how quickly he steps into a leadership role among the Mets' pitching staff, especially with the young players that will need to contribute if this team is to reach its goals. Especially given that while there was a lot of turnover when it comes to the Mets' position players, the same can't be said regarding their starting rotation.

Read more: Eduardo Perez's Ideal Mets Free Agency Target Hits a Dead End

Still, when a guy like Peralta comes to a club, he typically asserts himself as a valuable presence on the mound and in the clubhouse. And it's safe to expect the same in this case, especially given the need for an injection of positive clubhouse energy after last year.

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