Freddy Peralta was acquired by the Mets in a trade with Milwaukee in January of this year. Dustin Satloff / Getty ImagesAug. 2, 2026 Updated 2:17 pm EDTThe New York Mets agreed to trade right-handed starter Freddy Peralta to the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday, league sources told The Athletic. The move bolsters a Rays rotation that entered the day ranked third in the American League in ERA and nets New York a trio of prospects in right-hander Gary Gill Hill, infielder Émilien Pitre and outfielder Aidan Smith.The Rays are banking on Peralta’s years-long track record rather than his recent performance, as the right-hander is in the midst of one of the most difficult stretches of his career over the last two months.The deal was confirmed by sources who spoke on condition of anonymity because the transaction has not been completed.
Acquired in January for a pair of top-100 prospects to front the Mets’ rotation, Peralta has submitted one of his most inconsistent seasons. His arm slot has dropped to the lowest point of his career, which has made it difficult for him to pound the top of the strike zone with his fastball. He’s not quite “Fastball Freddy” anymore — Peralta threw his heater 80 percent of the time when he first debuted, compared to just over 50 percent now — but still needs to win with that pitch to succeed elsewhere.The drop in arm slot has also undercut Peralta’s extension, which no longer ranks among the game’s elite. Peralta is eliciting whiffs at a career-worst rate, and a strikeout rate that used to sit above 30 percent has tumbled down to the league average this year.That’s why Peralta is probably not the Game 1 starter he routinely was for the Milwaukee Brewers and that he was supposed to be for New York. But it doesn’t mean he’s a guy who can no longer start postseason games. From 2023 to 2025, he was a top-25 starter in the sport in innings pitched, ERA and WAR. Even this season, one catastrophic start in Philadelphia and the persistent inability of the Mets’ bullpen to strand runners inherited from Peralta have made his ERA look worse than his start-to-start performance.This story will be updated. Aug 2, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms
