The Tampa Bay Rays acquired right-hander Freddy Peralta in a trade with the New York Mets in exchange for three minor leaguers, the teams announced Sunday.
Peralta joins Drew Rasmussen, Shane McClanahan and Nick Martinez in one of the American League's best rotations as the first-place Rays try to hold off the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox in the AL East.
In return, the Mets received outfielder Aidan Smith, infielder Emilien Pitre and right-hander Gary Gill Hill.
"Freddy is a proven major league starter with high-stakes experience and a strong track record," Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander said in a statement. "Adding a pitcher and competitor of his caliber strengthens our team as we push forward."
News of the completed deal reached the Mets' dugout during their 2-0 loss to the Miami Marlins at Citi Field. New York interim manager Andy Green said Peralta stepped out to receive word and didn't return, concluding his forgettable tenure in Queens.
The Mets traded two top prospects -- right-hander Brandon Sproat and infielder/outfielder Jett Williams -- for the two-time All-Star, along with right-hander Tobias Myers, in January to bolster the top of their rotation alongside rookie Nolan McLean. Peralta was coming off his best season with the Milwaukee Brewers, logging a 2.70 ERA over 33 starts. The Mets believed Peralta solidified a championship-level pitching staff.
But the Mets, sitting in last place six months later, did not receive that version in a disastrous season. Peralta instead is having the worst campaign of his career. He leaves New York with a 4.99 ERA in 113⅔ innings across 22 starts. While he avoided injury and took the ball every five days, he failed to pitch into the sixth inning in 11 of the 22 outings and failed to complete five innings in 15. His strikeout rate has tumbled from 28.2% last season to 22.1% this season while his whiff rate has plummeted from 30.1% to 26.8%.
"I know he's disappointed by it," Green said. "He came here to anchor a rotation and felt the weight of that. I know from talking to him, he certainly doesn't feel like it went the way that he hoped it would. I think we all feel that way. I think where we are today screams that we're all wishing we were in a different spot."
Where the Mets find themselves is in a nightmare, sitting in last place in the National League East with the second-highest payroll in the majors. The underperformance has forced the front office to seek to unload veterans and pivot to 2027 ahead of Monday's trade deadline.
Peralta is the second veteran the Mets have unloaded since Thursday, joining reliever A.J. Minter, with more moves expected before Monday's trade deadline. Starter Clay Holmes, relievers Luke Weaver and Huascar Brazoban, and outfielders Tyrone Taylor and Luis Robert Jr. are among the other potential trade candidates.
Holmes made his third rehab start Sunday in his recovery from a fractured fibula, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits across 5⅓ innings for High-A Brooklyn. He struck out three and walked none. Meanwhile, Raley, Weaver, and Brazobán each pitched a scoreless inning at Citi Field against the Marlins in perhaps their final outings in a Mets uniform.
The return for Peralta is highlighted by Pitre, a second-round pick in 2024. Pitre, 23, is slashing .308/.438/.447 with 9 home runs and 32 steals in High A and Double A this season.
Smith, 22, was a fourth-round pick in 2023. He's batting .209 with 10 home runs, 16 steals, and a .672 OPS across three levels this season, topping out at High A.
Hill, 21, has 4.43 ERA in 15 starts in Double A this season. The Westchester County native was taken in the sixth round of the 2022 draft.