NEW YORK — Freddy Peralta maintains hope that the New York Mets are going to turn things around and that they won’t end up trading him before the Aug. 3 deadline.After all, he just got here.“It’s tough,” Peralta said. “It’s part of baseball, but we know we have to perform better.”On the baseball calendar, Memorial Day is the unofficial assessment point. The skinny on the Mets (22-32) after Monday’s holiday: They’re banged up and down bad.There is enough time, however, for improvement. The Mets’ 7-2 loss Monday to the Cincinnati Reds dropped them seven games back in the standings for the third and final wild-card spot. New York is carrying a $368 million payroll (per FanGraphs). Owner Steve Cohen said in spring training that making the playoffs was the baseline expectation. At the absolute minimum, they are not expected to wave the white flag for a while longer.With their season essentially hanging in the balance over the next several weeks, Peralta, one of their most important players, is set to face the distraction of being one of the best trade candidates.Peralta turns 30 on June 4 and becomes a free agent after the season. Through 11 starts (61 1/3 innings), the right-hander holds a 3.52 ERA/4.14 FIP. Plenty of teams are eyeing him this summer for the same reason the Mets sent two consensus top-100 prospects to the Milwaukee Brewers last winter to get him: He might not be an ace, but he’s a proven frontline starter. Barring a Tarik Skubal trade, Peralta would probably be the best pitcher available.