Former Mets left-hander David Peterson is grateful for the fresh start in Chicago.
Peterson, who was dealt to the Cubs on Wednesday night, told reporters on Friday that he’s happy for a “new opportunity” outside of Queens.
“Excitement for the new opportunity,” Peterson said, according to ESPN. “Some shock in the moment…I feel good, healthy. I went through some things early in the year I needed to clean up. [Feel] better now. Feel like myself back in ’24 and ’25.”
Hours after the Mets lost a doubleheader to the Cubs with a combined score of 20-8, Peterson was shipped off to Chicago for the Cubs’ No. 13 prospect, Cole Mathis.
Peterson, 30, struggled with the Mets to start the 2026 season, pitching to a 6.09 ERA through 68 innings while being shifted out of the starter role early on in the year.
Chicago ultimately sought Peterson due to injuries to their rotation, having started trade talks with the Mets roughly six weeks ago, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said.
“We had been talking to them back and forth, and I think that happens a lot of times with deals that you know you’re circling a player or a concept, there’s not a lot of urgency to do it,” Hoyer said, according to ESPN.
“You sort of talk, and all of a sudden we had more urgency to do it once Cabrera and Brown went down.”
The deal came as a shock, considering that Peterson was the longest-tenured Met, having been a big leaguer since the 2020 COVID-shortened season. He had joined the organization as a first-round pick in the 2017 MLB Draft.
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“Nobody tells you when you’re going to be traded,” Cubs skipper Craig Counsell said. “They call you into the office or they call you on the phone and say you’ve been traded. That’s the warning you get.
“That’s shocking news for anybody. I think he’s feeling the effects of that, and that takes a little while.”
