The Mets have moved on from Freddy Peralta, sending the 30-year-old right-hander to the Tampa Bay Rays in a deal that gives New York three prospects and gives Tampa Bay a proven arm for the stretch run.
Will Sammon of The Athletic first reported the trade on Sunday, Aug. 2. The Rays are sending Aidan Smith, Emilien Pitre and Gary Gill Hill to New York in the deal.
Peralta, a two-time All-Star, spent this season in New York after arriving with big expectations, but the results never matched the résumé. In his first Mets season, he went 5-9 with a 4.99 ERA.
Now he heads to a different kind of pressure cooker. In Tampa Bay, Peralta won’t be asked to carry the burden of a No. 1 starter in the country’s largest media market. He’ll join a rotation that already includes Drew Rasmussen, Shane McClanahan and Nick Martinez as the Rays try to hang onto first place in the AL East over the final two months.
Peralta’s track record with the Brewers still makes him an appealing add. From 2021-25, he went 54-34 with a 3.30 ERA in Milwaukee, and Tampa Bay is banking on that version showing up again as he enters the final year before free agency.
The move also fits the deadline market that’s forming around the Dodgers’ acquisition of left-hander Tarik Skubal, which became official earlier in the day. That deal removed the top rental starter from the board and helped establish the price for similar moves in the final 24 hours before the deadline.
The deadline arrives at 6 p.m. ET Monday, Aug. 3.
For the Rays, the trade gives them another arm to strengthen an already deep rotation and lets Ian Seymour return to bullpen duty. Seymour has a 5.31 ERA as a starter and a 3.81 ERA as a reliever.
For the Mets, this is another step in a sell-off that started when reliever A.J. Minter was dealt to the Minnesota Twins.
Peralta’s scratch from his most recent start made the possibility of a move easier to see coming, and the Brewers had reportedly shown interest in a reunion if the price made sense. In the end, the Mets found a better package from Tampa Bay.
According to MLB Pipeline, New York gets Tampa Bay’s No. 15 prospect, Smith, along with No. 26 Hill and No.
27 Pitre. Smith is a Single-A outfielder, Hill is a Double-A right-handed pitcher, and Pitre is a Double-A middle infielder.
Tampa Bay entered Aug. 1 with a 3.5-game lead over the New York Yankees in the AL East.
In Other News...
Jacob Misiorowski Sends A Message As Brewers Face Dodgers Pressure
The Brewers keep stacking wins at a pace that has put them in rare territory, and their latest victory over the Angels only added to the sense that this group has been built to withstand pressure. Through 110 games, Milwaukee owns the best record in franchise history, a milestone that has naturally sharpened the attention around the club as the playoff picture starts to come into focus.
Jacob Misiorowski is not backing away from the challenge, even with the Dodgers reshaping their roster by landing two-time AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal from the Tigers. The Brewers ace made it clear he believes Milwaukee can handle whatever name-brand talent gets thrown at it, a confidence that fits the way this team has carried itself all season and one that will be tested if the path eventually runs through Los Angeles. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Just Got A Brutal Deadline Twist In The NL Race
The deadline market shifted hard on Friday, and it did so in a way that could matter for Milwaukees National League race. While the Brewers made their own move earlier in the day, the bigger jolt came from national reports that the Dodgers were landing one of the most coveted arms available just ahead of the Aug. 3 deadline, adding even more weight to a postseason picture that already looked crowded.
For Milwaukee, the sting is less about what it did and more about what it did not do. The Brewers had been in the mix for upgrades, but this latest twist sends a reminder that the teams chasing the same October ceiling are not standing still, and Los Angeles reportedly paid three prospects to get the deal done. With the deadline clock still ticking, the pressure only grows for Milwaukee to answer back somehow. [Read more 🡒]