David Peterson serves as first tough Mets casualty as trade deadline looms

When Craig Counsell spoke to David Peterson over the phone Thursday morning, the Cubs manager could sense it in his newest pitcher’s voice.This was a lot to take in.

Peterson had only known one team throughout his MLB career — and he was the longest-tenured Met.Just Wednesday night, during the second game of a doubleheader between the teams, Peterson was in the home dugout.But that changed shortly before midnight, after the Mets sent the struggling lefty to Chicago in exchange for infield prospect Cole Mathis.

Instead of spending the rest of his final season before free agency trying to fix what has gone wrong in Queens, Peterson was expected to start this weekend in Milwaukee for another team, potentially even flying with it after the series concluded at Citi Field and Peterson got everything in his personal life situated.Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets.

“Nobody tells you when you’re gonna be traded,” 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.So I think he’s feeling the effects of that, and that takes a little while.”And for the Mets, who entered play with a five-game losing streak and in the basement of the National League East, it marked the first move in what could be a summer filled with change to the current roster.

Peterson’s deal could be just the initial trade.This is the reality for a spiraling team.

After being an integral piece of the Mets’ improbable run to the NLCS in 2024 and after making the All-Star Game in 2025, Peterson’s trajectory stalled, with struggles forcing him to become a bullpen piece and bulk-inning reliever this season as a result.“It’s sad to see him go,” Bo Bichette told The Post.“He’s been a great teammate so far in my time here and obviously spent a lot of ti...