The New York Mets have been one of Major League Baseball’s biggest disappointments this year. This comes after they added a lot of very intriguing pieces in the offseason, including right-hander Freddy Peralta. Though he hasn’t been quite as dominant as he was last season with the Milwaukee Brewers, he still has been a bright spot for the Mets this season.
The 29-year-old is 3-4 with a 3.55 ERA in 12 starts this season with his new team, but since the Mets are 26-35 and essentially buried in the standings, Peralta’s name has come up in trade rumors.
Mike Axisa of CBS Sports has Peralta as a top trade candidate as the deadline draws closer, and strangely, he listed a surprise American League contender as a possible fit.
“The same teams that pursue (Tarik) Skubal also figure to pursue Peralta, and in some cases Peralta might even be Plan A given his bargain salary,” Axisa wrote. “The Cubs have already kicked the tires. For the sake of variety, let’s also list the Diamondbacks and White Sox (!) as potential Peralta destinations.”
Surprise Contender Named Fit for Peralta
This is certainly a surprise because while the White Sox are in the second AL wild card spot, they are still a very young team that is trying to piece together its next core, so it may not be a very realistic idea that Peralta lands with the South Siders.
Still, it’s an interesting one. The White Sox have the prospect capital to get a deal done, so it will be interesting to see if they actually try to link up with the Mets for a possible deal.
Peralta will cost a lot, and since the White Sox may not be completely done with their rebuild, that makes this idea unlikely. It would be quite a surprise to many around the industry if Peralta actually ends up there at the deadline.
There are still several weeks to go before the August 3 deadline hits, and things can certainly change in a heartbeat, so it will be fun to see how things shake out. There will be a lot of rumors between now and then.
Mets Could Benefit from Potential Peralta-White Sox Deal
This potential trade makes a lot more sense from a Mets perspective. The two-time All-Star is in the final year of his contract, and the Mets can get a lot for him in a potential trade.
The White Sox have a lot of top prospects, and the asking price for Peralta will be high, so if the White Sox are among the teams that contact the Mets, New York would have a lot of leverage.
A deal with the White Sox could set the Mets up well for the future and allow them to have enough pieces in place to bounce back into contention in 2027, lockout permitting, of course.
But this does make a lot of sense from the Mets’ side of things, and they’ll have to consider several offers as they try to decide what to do.
Mets’ Freddy Peralta Named as Trade Candidate for Unlikely AL Contender