Chicago Cubs acquire left-hander
David Peterson in a trade with the New York Mets
[June 26, 2026]
By MIKE FITZPATRICK
NEW YORK (AP) — The Chicago Cubs have patched a hole in their
depleted rotation by acquiring struggling left-hander David Peterson
in a trade with the New York Mets.
The deal was announced before Thursday’s series finale between the
teams at Citi Field.
“We’re hopeful that we can get a starting pitcher that can kind of
solidify some kind of needs for us and hopefully give him a fresh
start and get him back to some success that he’s had,” Cubs manager
Craig Counsell said.
Chicago president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said the teams
were discussing a Peterson deal for about six weeks but that
negotiations ramped up after the Cubs placed Ben Brown and Edward
Cabrera on the 15-day injured list on Wednesday, adding to their
injury woes in their rotation. Brown has a neck strain, and Cabrera
is sidelined with a left hamstring strain.
Jameson Taillon, Cade Horton and Justin Steele also are on the IL.
Matthew Boyd was activated from the injured list ahead of his start
on Thursday in Brown’s spot.
New York received minor league infielder Cole Mathis in the trade.
The 22-year-old Mathis, a second-round pick in the 2024 amateur
draft, is batting .272 with 10 homers and 39 RBIs in 39 games over
two stops this year.
The Cubs are hopeful their infield defense will allow Peterson — who
has a 52.9% groundball rate — to benefit from the change of scenery.
Chicago has one of baseball’s best defensive infields, and New York
committed six errors — all in the infield — during Wednesday night’s
10-5 loss in the second game of a doubleheader.
“He’s been a really good pitcher in the big leagues, throws strikes,
keeps the ball on the ground, which is something we haven’t done
particularly well,” Hoyer said.
Peterson broke out in 2024, when he posted a 2.90 ERA in 21 starts
following hip surgery before recording his first career save by
getting the final three outs of the Mets’ wild card series-clinching
win over the Milwaukee Brewers.
He was also terrific for much of last year, making the NL All-Star
team and throwing his first career shutout while going 8-5 with a
3.18 ERA in his first 24 starts.
But Peterson had a 10.36 ERA over his last six starts, and the rough
finish carried over into this year. The 30-year-old, who is eligible
for free agency after the season, is 3-6 with a 6.09 ERA in eight
starts and eight relief appearances.
He has a 10.97 ERA in three appearances this month. He allowed four
earned runs and six hits in four innings in a 6-2 loss at
Philadelphia on Sunday.
“He’s an All-Star last year and then kind of everything went the
other way,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Credit to the coaches
that were here last year that put everything (into) continuing to
help him (and) this year’s coaching staff. But it just didn’t work.”
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New York Mets relief pitcher David Peterson delivers during the
second inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies,
Sunday, June 21, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Peterson was selected by New York in the first
round of the 2017 draft out of the University of Oregon. He made his
major league debut in 2020, when he went 6-2 with a 3.44 ERA in nine
starts and one relief appearance, and was the Mets’ longest-tenured
player at the time of the trade.
“It’s a tough one because you understand this is a
business, but especially from my end, I had a really good
relationship with ‘Petey,’” Mendoza said. “This is a guy that will
come in the office and have coffee and just talk about life.”
Peterson hadn’t yet suited up for the Cubs by first pitch Thursday
night. He is expected to join Chicago for this weekend’s three-game
series at the Milwaukee Brewers.
Counsell said he talked to Peterson Thursday morning and sensed some
excitement as well as some surprise regarding the trade.
“I think you could hear in his voice — very normal when a player’s
been with an organization for 10 years and it’s their first
organization and you’re traded,” Counsell said.
In a pair of corresponding moves, the Cubs designated right-hander
Yosver Zulueta for assignment and optioned right-hander Gavin
Hollowell to Triple-A Iowa.
Semien on injured list
The Mets placed infielder Marcus Semien on the 10-day injured list
with a left hip flexor strain and recalled right-hander Daniel
Duarte and infielder Ronny Mauricio from Triple-A Syracuse.
Semien was batting just .214 with a .613 OPS, the latter of which
was the ninth-lowest in the majors among qualified batters entering
Thursday.
Mendoza said Semien has been battling the hip issue on and off all
season but that it has gotten worse over the last 10 days. Semien
committed two errors Wednesday night.
Juan Soto returned to the Mets’ lineup as designated hitter Thursday
night and went 1 for 3 with two walks in a 4-3, 10-inning defeat.
Soto sat out Wednesday's doubleheader with a stiff back that
appeared during Tuesday’s 9-6 loss.
___
AP Sports Writer Jay Cohen and AP freelancer Jerry Beach contributed
to this report.
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