Surprise Decision Might Just Hand the Mets Their Next Ace

The potential for the New York Mets to acquire an ace starter this offseason got a boost from an unexpected source. On Nov. 18, right-hander Brandon Woodruff made what he called “an easy decision” to accept the qualifying offer from the Milwaukee Brewers. After missing all of 2024 and nearly half of the 2025 season recovering from shoulder surgery, the 32-year-old went 7-2 with a 3. 20 over 12 starts in the last year of a two-year, $17. 5 million contract. He will earn $22. 025 million in 2026, the highest average annual value ever given a pitcher by the Brewers, who are hopeful of a significant return on the investment to a starter who has posted a 3. 10 career ERA since his debut in August 2017. “When the Brewers extended the qualifying offer, I took that as a big compliment. I really did,” Woodruff told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I also took it as they really wanted me here. I know the ramifications of offering a one-year, 22 [million-dollar contract] to a pitcher in the Brewers organization. That has never happened. I don’t take that lightly.” Brandon Woodruff’s Decision Could Open Brewers to Trading Freddy Peralta There could be ramifications for another pitcher on the Brewers staff as well. In a Friday article for Bleacher Report predicting the season-opening rotation for all 32 MLB clubs, Joel Reuter suggests that Woodruff’s decision will help Milwaukee make a decision regarding Freddy Peralta. “The already strong possibility Freddy Peralta is traded this winter became even stronger when Brandon Woodruff accepted his qualifying offer,” Reuter opined, “giving the Brewers a de facto replacement in the ace role and tacking a significant chunk onto their 2026 payroll.” Peralta’s trade potential has been discussed by MLB analysts since before the offseason began. Coming off his finest season as a pro, the 29-year-old will earn $8 million next season, has last before becoming an unrestricted free agent, and speculation is high that the Brewers will trade Peralta while his value is at its highest point, similar to what they did with Corbin Burnes. Mets Have the Prospects & Desire to Make a Deal for Freddy Peralta Peralta went 17-6 with a 2. 70 ERA in 2025, striking out 204 batters in 176. 2 innings, and he finished fifth in the NL Cy Young Award voting. There are undoubtedly 31 other MLB teams who would love to have Peralta in their starting rotation at his paltry 2026 salary, but there are only a few who realistically can afford to sign him to an extension. From that group, Reuter believes the Mets will make the blockbuster deal to put Peralta at the top of their staff. “Improving (their) starting rotation is simply non-negotiable this winter,” Reuter wrote. “And while the Mets can find the money to go buy at least one of the top arms out there right now, they also have the farm system necessary to trade for what could be their Opening Day starter in 2026.” Reuter’s proposal has the Mets sending a trio of their top 30 prospects: right-handed pitcher Jonah Tong (No. 4), outfielder Eli Serrano III (No. 12), and versatile utility man Chris Suero (No. 15). While acknowledging Tong’s exciting potential, Reuter stressed that the Mets’ desire to vastly improve their pitching immediately would make this “an easy decision.” “Because Peralta is exponentially more well-established as a multiple-time All-Star with a 3. 30 ERA over the past five seasons, New York might be not only willing but straight up eager to make this proposed swap,” he stated.
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