The Boston Red Sox successfully rebuilt their pitching staff this offseason, trading away tons of superfluous depth while adding Ranger Suárez, Sonny Gray, and Johan Oviedo to a rotation that already included Garrett Crochet and Brayan Bello.
However, they missed arguably their biggest target of the winter when Freddy Peralta was traded to the New York Mets. The Sox had been deeply involved in his market for some time, though they ultimately balked at the Milwaukee Brewers' final asking price.
Well, it turns out the hopes of bringing Peralta to Boston may not be dead in the water quite yet. Speaking after his final appearance at spring training, the right-hander offered the normal platitudes of wanting to stay with the Mets for the long term, but it was his comments on the Red Sox and Yankees that profile as far more interesting:
Spoke to Freddy Peralta before leaving spring training and he reiterated that he wants to stay with the Mets long-term, if possible. He has family in NY and grew up a Mets/Red Sox fan. "I used to listen to them talk about the Mets, Mets, Mets. No one (rooted for) the Yankees."
— Laura Albanese (@AlbaneseLaura) March 20, 2026
A Yankees hater? And a Red Sox fan? Craig Breslow, are you hearing this?
Freddy Peralta's Red Sox fandom may not outweight Mets' deep pockets in free agency
It's certainly a nice twist of fate that Peralta grew up a fan of the Red Sox, which would theoretically give them some type of nostalgic advantage if he hits free agency next winter.
The issue is that he also grew up a Mets fan, and no team (other than the Los Angeles Dodgers) has the kind of cash the team from Queens can burn. With Juan Soto and Bo Bichette already earning a combined $103 million this year, an extension for Peralta (which will probably clock in around the same length and dollar value that Suárez got) would hardly make a dent in their books.
Plus, the Mets have a huge need for starting pitching, hence why they gave up two top-100 prospects (Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat) in a trade for a rental arm. They have some impressive young talent on the way, but a veteran leader at or near the peak of their powers is a necessity for a contender's rotation.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox are set to return almost their entire starting five in 2027, save for Sonny Gray. Peralta would make for an incredible replacement, but he'd also block Payton Tolle, Connelly Early, Juan Valera, and Kyson Witherspoon from getting a shot in the rotation. It probably doesn't make sense to hand out another nine-figure contract to a starting pitcher with so many young prospects banging on the door of the majors.
But when has being reasonable ever led to championships? The Dodgers sign everyone who expresses a modicum of interest in moving to Los Angeles, and they're the reigning back-to-back champs (with an absurd payroll). If Peralta expresses interest in joining the Red Sox next offseason, the front office would be foolish not to meet him halfway.
For now, the ball is in the Mets' court. They could render this whole conversation moot with a huge extension offer. Failing that, though, the Red Sox may get a second chance at bringing Peralta to Boston in a few months.