Mets' Freddy Peralta announcement comes at uncertain time for Brewers' starting staff

The Milwaukee Brewers' Opening Day starter situation is "up in the air." That was the language that presumed Opening Day starter Brandon Woodruff used when discussing his availability for the Brewers' March 26th season opener against the Chicago White Sox with members of the media earlier this week.

Woodruff is currently in the process of slowly ramping up to the 2026 season; the veteran right-hander who has dealt with injuries over the last three seasons has yet to pitch in a Cactus League game, and it's not clear when that first Spring Training appearance will come. The Brewers are taking things slow with most of their starting pitchers this year, but Woodruff is still on a different timeline from his rotation colleagues.

While seeing Woody make his first Opening Day start since the 2021 season would be awesome for Brewers fans, what's far more important is that Big Woo is healthy at the end of the 2026 campaign. Woodruff has missed out on pitching in the postseason in each of the last three seasons, leading to his prioritization of being available at the end of the season rather than being ready to go on March 26. In that regard, Woodruff's uncertainty for Opening Day is a fine development, seeing as it signals that both he and the Brewers have their priorities in the right place.

However, while the Brewers await to name their Opening Day starter, recent news from the New York Mets' camp is making the situation a little less bearable for the Milwaukee faithful.

Freddy Peralta officially named Mets' Opening Day starter as Woodruff's status for the start of the season remains uncertain

There was never much doubt that Mets' manager Carlos Mendoza would name Freddy Peralta the team's Opening Day starter, but up until moments ago it wasn't official that the former Brewers' ace would lead New York in their March 26th matchup with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

While Peralta is clearly the most talented starter on New York's roster, it's not always talent that earns a pitcher a start on Opening Day. Some managers reward pitchers who have been in the organization for a long time -- to a certain degree -- but in the Mets' case there really wasn't anyone who was so important to the club that they would earn the Opening Day start over Peralta.

It's the third consecutive Opening Day start for Peralta, who earns a tough matchup against Paul Skenes. Runs will be tough to come by for the Mets' offense, meaning Peralta will have to be near spotless in his debut with his new team for New York to earn an Opening Day victory.

For Brewers fans, seeing Peralta in a Mets uniform still doesn't feel right, and now hearing him be named New York's Opening Day starter while their own rotation picture is uncertain is not easy to stomach. However, with the 2025 season as clear evidence, it matters not how a team starts a baseball season, but rather how they finish it, and the Brewers certainly have the rotation depth to have a very successful 2026 campaign. Whether or not that campaign starts with an Opening Day start from Woody remains in question, but that shouldn't detract from the fact that, even without Peralta, Milwaukee's rotation picture looks very strong heading into 2026.