The New York Mets season has gone about as badly as imaginable. The team expected to contend, even after their second-half collapse cost them a spot in the postseason in 2025, but they have fallen to the bottom of the National League East.
By now, it is clear that the Mets are going to be sellers at the trade deadline, which is less than a month away. They are not in a position to add anything except for future assets at this point.
One of the players that will likely be in the move is right-hander Freddy Peralta, who has struggled this season. But he is on an expiring contract, so it makes sense to at least shop him. Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report proposed the idea of the Chicago White Sox trading for him.
“So, is this a Zac Gallen situation, in which a great pitcher suddenly lost his touch once he started pitching for a contract? Or is Peralta the ultimate ‘just needs a change of scenery’ candidate, liable to lock back in once he gets out of the Mets clubhouse?” Miller wrote.
“Should be a long line of teams willing to bet on the latter, especially with Peralta only making $8M this season. And while the ahead-of-schedule White Sox will be more reluctant than most to part with one of their upper-echelon prospects, they would probably be willing to give up a platter of lottery tickets for a Peralta rental.”
New York Mets Trade Proposal Sends Freddy Peralta to Chicago White Sox
In 19 starts with the Mets this year, Peralta is 5-7 with a 4.68 ERA. His numbers have certainly taken a dip since he won 17 games and posted a 2.70 ERA for the Milwaukee Brewers last season.
He has pitched 100 innings at least, so there is still value in his arm. But the Mets likely won’t be able to get quite as much for him, especially with the White Sox being focused on their young core and not wanting to part with too many top prospects.
Still, it’s better for the Mets to at least try to capitalize on what value Peralta has left instead of holding onto him, especially with them being out of postseason contention. Perhaps a change of scenery is all he needs to get back to his old self, and the White Sox are playing good baseball this season, so he might be a good fit there.
What Freddy Peralta Could Bring to Chicago White Sox
Peralta is somebody that the White Sox can trust to start Game 1 of a playoff series. They’ve already gotten a lot out of Davis Martin and Sean Burke at the top of their rotation. But with Peralta added to the mix, the rotation could truly be transformed, and the White Sox could be a threat to make a deep run in October for the first time since their World Series title in 2005.
The only question is what they will be willing to give up to land Peralta in a possible trade.
Mets Trade Proposal Sends Freddy Peralta to Unexpected AL Central Team