Mets fans were abuzz in January when David Stearns pulled off a trade to acquire ace Freddy Peralta from the Brewers. Not to be overlooked, however, was the other pitcher acquired in that deal, Tobias Myers. The 27-year-old served as both a starter and reliever in Milwaukee and he certainly made an impression on the team when he pitched five scoreless innings in Game 3 of the Wild Card series against the Mets in 2024.
The confidence Milwaukee showed in him to start that game came from their development
of the righty after he bounced around in the minors for a few years. Most notably, they allowed him to effectively use his four-seam fastball which rates as one of the highest in active spin. While it is not overpowering, the movement fools hitters enough to keep them off balance.
So far this spring he is repeating the, albeit limited, success he found with the Brewers. As of this writing, he is 1-1 with a 1.08 ERA in 8.1 IP during Grapefruit League action. He has struck out nine and has a WHIP of 0.96. Last season he appeared in 22 games and started 6 of them. As a starter he went 1-1 with 5.64 ERA and as a reliever he went 0-1 with a 1.91 ERA.
Manager Carlos Mendoza has already confirmed that Myers is making the team but he did not confirm what his role will be. He will most likely serve as the team’s swingman, a role that was last effectively filled by Trevor Williams, who also happened to be the extra piece in a blockbuster trade. With a lot of uncertainty surrounding the rotation, having someone who can be a bridge to the backend of the bullpen is a crucial weapon for the Mets to have. Last year, Mets starters only pitched 796.0 innings which was good for 27th in the league. That averaged out to only 4.91 innings per start. This under-performance led to an overtaxed bullpen, as the team did not have a reliable swingman to pitch those innings. Myers now fills that role for the 2026 team.
Stearns’s trade back in January helped acquire both an ace and a swingman and, while Peralta will continue to get headlines, Myers has the potential to be just as crucial in getting this team back to the playoffs.
