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Former Mets Prospects Have Struggled Since Peralta Trade
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- Former Mets Prospects Have Struggled Since Peralta Trade
When the New York Mets traded for Milwaukee Brewers starter Freddy Peralta, the perception around the league was that they gave up a lot. Brandon Sproat had some success for the Mets late in 2025 when he was brought up, and Jett Williams was looked at as a speedy sparkplug who could either play short or roam the outfield as an excellent defensive center fielder.
Not so much, as it turns out, though. Sproat started the season in Milwaukee as a spot starter who was given an opportunity to make the Brewers rotation as a fourth or fifth starter, and he had some promising moments early on. He went toe-to-toe with then-Detroit Tigers starter Tarik Skubal early on, and he looked like a prospect who was ready to turn his potential into performance.
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Then things went sideways. Sproat started experiencing control issues, which limited him to shorter outings, but he eventually pitched his way out of Milwaukee's rotation completely.
Sproat's downfall culminated in a relief outing against the Chicago Cubs on Sept. 9. The right-hander was brought in for mop-up duty with Milwaukee leading 8-1, and he started by pitching a scoreless eighth inning.
But Sproat imploded in the ninth, walking four of the five hitters he faced to go with a throwing error and a wild pitch. Brewers manager Pat Murphy is an old-school, no-nonsense type, and he called the outing "unacceptable," adding that, "You've got to throw the ball over the plate or you can't be a major league pitcher."
Sproat finished the season with a record of 3-7 with an ERA of 5.57 in 22 appearances, 19 of them starts, and he walked 52 batters in 97 innnings. He now faces an uncertain future with a team that has a reputation for developing plug-and-play pitchers who punch above their weight, so the competition to get back to Milwaukee will be fierce.
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As for Williams, his future is also uncertain. He hit just .233 with nine home runs in the minors as he dealt with recurring wrist and hand injuries, although he did steal 21 bases on the way to an OPS of .724. It's hard to tell how much of his struggles are due to injuries, but he, too, faces a tough path to get to Milwaukee given his apparently limited skill set.
Peralta, meanwhile, just lost Game 3 of the World Series to the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night, so right now the news on everyone involved in this trade isn't good.
