Anthony Rizzo says what every Mets fan is feeling right now originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The New York Mets‘ lack of success over the past few seasons has come down to multiple players coming in and not playing at the level everyone has hoped for. That was evident throughout the 2026 campaign with right-hander Freddy Peralta, who they landed in a deal with the Milwaukee Brewers during last offseason.
Peralta was typically one of MLB’s better starters, earning two All-Star nods and a top-five finish in Cy Young voting in 2025. In 2026 with the Mets, he posted a 4.99 ERA, his worst since 2019.
Peralta has typically been in the 2.70 to 3.70 range and returned to form with the Tampa Bay Rays, posting a 3.25 ERA after he was traded to Tampa Bay at the deadline.
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In the postseason, Peralta has arguably been the best starter in Major League Baseball, starting in two games and posting a 0.84 ERA.
This is a typical Mets situation, one that the organization has unfortunately found itself in far too many times recently. Speaking of that, former Chicago Cubs legend and New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo had plenty to say.
“It’s crazy, right? How mad are you as a Mets fan to see the guy that you guys traded for from Milwaukee, right, and this isn’t a stray to the Mets organization, sometimes guys just don’t adapt right away,” Rizzo said, H/T Yahoo.
“And then he goes to Tampa and just starts shoving. They unlock his changeup or his split more. He starts throwing that more.
“Goes out, what his last seven starts he’s had under a one ERA? That’s not easy.”
It has to hurt to be a Mets fan right now and see Peralta throwing at the level he is.
Not to say win-loss records mean anything for a starting pitcher, but he went 5-9 with the Mets.
If he could have won 10 games, he wouldn’t have been traded at the deadline, and the Mets likely could have made the playoffs.
But he was a big one.