Rays set to acquire Freddy Peralta from Mets

This is certainly one of the best-case scenarios for those rostering Peralta, as he’ll get to try to turn things around in a very good situation for pitchers in Tampa Bay. A 17-game winner in Milwaukee last year, Peralta is just 5-9 with a 4.99 ERA in 22 starts this year. His elevated .313 BABIP seems rather fluky, given that he’s remained pretty good at limiting hard contract. However, it is a significant concern that his strikeout rate has dropped from 28 percent to 22 percent. The Rays will plug him into Shane McClanahan’s rotation spot for now and probably start him at some point against the Rockies in the series starting Monday. Eventually, Ian Seymour could be bumped back to the pen once McClanahan comes off the IL.

The Athletic’s Will Sammon and Ken Rosenthal reported earlier today that the Mets are asking teams for a top-100 prospect “and more” in their early conversations with teams about Freddy Peralta. It appears they’re close enough on terms with a team to consider scratching Peralta to make sure he can turn up to a new team injury-free. It would seem likely that a rested Kodai Senga will shoulder most of the load in a bullpen game tonight.

It would certainly seem like a stretch that the Mets will get anything like what they gave up to get Peralta, though perhaps desperation will take the reins at the deadline after some other dominoes fall. Peralta is 5-9 with a 4.99 ERA and 113 strikeouts in 113 2/3 innings for the Mets this year, but other teams seem to believe they can fix him. The Cubs, Braves, Rays, and Phillies are among the clubs showing strong interest in Peralta per The Athletic reporters.

Peralta and Holmes are almost assuredly being dealt this week, and the Cubs are looking to add starting pitching. As Passan notes, the Cubs also have “plenty of bats available” that could interest the Mets, like Matt Shaw and Pedro Ramirez in the big leagues, or Owen Ayers and Jefferson Rojas in the minors. It remains to be seen if the teams can make anything work, but the pieces seem to be there.

Expressing an interest and being willing to meet the likely high asking prices are two separate things, but it’s interesting to note that the Rays are looking to be aggressive, especially when it comes to pitching. According to Murray, any additional starter the Rays bring in wouldn’t necessarily mean Griffin Jax or Ian Seymour are out of the rotation. Instead, the Rays are looking for pitching depth to help offset innings and injury concerns surrounding Shane McClanahan and Drew Rasmussen. The team could decide to use a six man rotation or occasionally skip starts in order to keep those guys healthy for the playoffs. Considering Peralta is a free agent at the end of the season, he would be the most likely target of the trio.

There’s a team out there that will be willing to take the plunge on Peralta given his track record, but Dorsey notes that Peralta will be difficult for New York to move as a result of his abysmal performance this season. The 30-year-old allowed two runs over four innings against the Dodgers last weekend and holds an uninspiring 4.99 ERA across 22 starts in his Mets debut. Ironically, Milwaukee might be his most logical landing spot since they’re looking to add pitching depth and would probably be willing to roll the dice with their former ace as a short-term reclamation project.

Peralta struck out three in the 93-pitch outing, lowering his ERA to 4.99. This might’ve been his last start with the Mets, but he hasn’t done himself any favors with his trade value lately. The impending free agent has his highest ERA and lowest strikeout rate since becoming a full-time starter in 2021. His next start lines up against the Marlins if he isn’t dealt or pushed back.

Peralta gave up eight hits, walked two and struck out six. He fell to 5-9 with the loss. Peralta’s start never got off the ground as he allowed five runs in the first three innings. His return to Milwaukee couldn’t have gone much worse as he allowed seven runs in the disastrous start. He has a 5.01 ERA on the year. Peralta is lined up to face the Dodgers at home this weekend.

It’s the third straight outing and sixth overall this year in which Peralta has failed to complete five innings, and he goes into the All-Star break 5-8 with a 4.66 ERA and a 22 percent strikeout rate that is down from 28 percent each of the last two years. Maybe there are suitors out there that think they can turn him around, but he isn’t currently throwing like someone worth a big haul at the trade deadline. He’ll pitch in Philadelphia next weekend.

He struck out six. Peralta’s fastball velocity was again up some tonight, as he averaged 95.1 mph. It’s his third straight start at 95 mph or better after averaging 93.9 mph previously this season. Interestingly, he’s throwing his secondary pitches a little slower than usual during the same timeframe. If it’s a conscious change, it’s not really paying off yet. He’ll take a 4.68 ERA into his first-half finale against Boston.