<p>NEW YORK – David Peterson won’t have to travel far to find his new team.</p><p>The <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs" >Cubs</a> swung a trade for the All-Star lefty, doing business with the Mets while in Queens for a four-game series.</p><p>The deal comes a day after the Cubs <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2026/06/24/cubs-injuries-pitching-rotation-ben-brown-edward-cabrera-injured-list-matthew-boyd-jameson-taillon-cade-horton-craig-counsell-jed-hoyer-justin-steele" >placed two more starting pitchers on the injured list</a>, with righty Edward Cabrera’s hamstring strain and right-hander Ben Brown’s neck strain adding to the mountain of pitching injuries the team is facing.</p><p>Though lefty Matthew Boyd is <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2026/06/22/cubs-matthew-boyd-injury-injured-list-next-start-rotation-craig-counsell-seiya-suzuki-knee-right-field-matt-shaw-pete-crow-armstrong-player-of-the-week" >slated to come off the IL</a> for Thursday’s series finale at Citi Field, the Cubs, however briefly, had 80 percent of their Opening Day starting rotation, plus closer Daniel Palencia, on the shelf at the same time.</p><p>Peterson would figure to be just part of the front office’s ongoing quest for pitching assistance. He was an All Star last season after posting a 2.39 ERA in his first 13 starts of the campaign. But things fell apart a bit from there; he had a 6.34 ERA after the break.</p><p>Things haven’t been too much better so far this season, and he’s bounced between starting and relieving, with a 6.09 ERA in 16 appearances totaling 68 innings of work.</p><p>But the number that points to potentially better results ahead is Peterson’s 51.1 percent ground-ball rate, which entering Thursday was the eighth highest in baseball among pitchers who had thrown at least 60 innings.