Freddy Peralta isn’t turning his first start against the Mets into anything bigger than it needs to be.
The Tampa Bay Rays right-hander, who joined the club after a brief stint with New York ended in a trade to Tampa Bay, said the matchup is simply another test to handle. He didn’t lean into the drama of facing his former team so soon after the deadline.
“It's a challenge,” Peralta said. “Every game for me, I take the same way. I just come in and compete and try and get a win.”
That’s the tone Peralta has chosen, and it fits the reality of his time with the Mets. He spent less than one full season in New York, not nearly long enough to build the kind of history that would make this feel like a revenge spot.
Freddy Peralta was asked about the emotions of facing the Mets this week after they dealt him to the Rays at the trade deadline: pic.twitter.com/ATl0iPcikc
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) August 31, 2026
So while the storyline has some built-in intrigue, it doesn’t come with much emotional baggage. There wasn’t enough time for a deep bond to form, and there wasn’t much room for hard feelings to grow, either.
What does matter is the baseball itself. Peralta knows the Mets’ hitters, and the Mets know what he likes to do on the mound. That familiarity on both sides is what makes this a real challenge, even if Peralta is refusing to dress it up as anything more.
If anyone was hoping for bulletin-board material after New York dealt him at the deadline, they’re out of luck. Peralta has already moved on, and now the task is straightforward: keep his former teammates from getting the better of him.
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