The Chicago Cubs acquired left-handed pitcher David Peterson from the New York Mets on Wednesday to bolster a rotation depleted by 11 injuries on their 40-man roster.
The front office led by Jed Hoyer finalized the trade nearly six weeks ahead of the August 3 Major League Baseball trade deadline.
Chicago sent Class-A hitter Cole Mathis to New York in exchange for the 30-year-old starter, who carried a 6.09 ERA with the Mets this season.
Peterson joined the Cubs in Milwaukee ahead of his scheduled debut on Saturday night against the first-place Brewers at American Family Field.
The acquisition follows a challenging stretch for New York, which culminated in the firing of manager Carlos Mendoza on Friday morning after a 34-47 start.
"I can't speculate on everything," Peterson said.
"On the field, I just don't think we were able to put all the aspects together at the same time.
You go through some of the similar stuff as everyone else with the injuries. Losing (Juan) Soto, him coming back, (Francisco) Lindor going down, that's all normal.
We just weren't winning. At the end of the day, that's the simplest way to put it.
We weren't getting the job done on a daily basis. We put the organization in a spot where they had to make some changes."
The former 2017 first-round draft pick expressed optimism about playing behind a Chicago infield that features multiple Gold Glove defenders, including Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner.
"It's huge," Peterson said.
"You look at the guys that are around the infield, and the defense as a whole, it's hard not to be excited about that group.
You see statistically they're at the top of every list."
The Cubs believe Peterson will benefit from their defensive positioning and analytical infrastructure, especially given his career 51.5 percent groundball rate.
This transition marks the first time Peterson has changed organizations in his 10-year professional career.
"When I was there, my whole goal and focus was to help the Mets win games," Peterson said.
"But I do think there is something to that. I've seen it with other guys.
I've seen it with friends in the game where they're kind of stuck in a rut or stuck in a spot that they're not necessarily enjoying, and they've gone somewhere else and had a lot of success.
That's part of what gives me excitement about this opportunity."
Cubs manager Craig Counsell endorsed the move, noting that a new environment often provides a necessary spark for struggling players.
"We all can acknowledge that sometimes a change of scenery is a good thing," Counsell said.
"When things aren't going well, sometimes a fresh start is something that can kind of reenergize you, refocus you, and hopefully get you to a good place.
Hopefully, we can provide that."
