Mets replace Freddy Peralta jersey promotion with Carson Benge/A.J. Ewing 'Spider-Man meme' shirt
Mets' A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge made strong throws from the outfield to prevent runs on Monday against the Padres at Citi Field. Credit: Getty Images/Elsa
The Mets have traded Freddy Peralta. Again.
A Peralta jersey giveaway scheduled for Wednesday afternoon at Citi Field has been canceled and the team will instead give the first 15,000 fans in attendance a Carson Benge/A.J. Ewing T-shirt.
The Mets announced the Peralta jersey giveaway earlier this season, but it became a bit awkward after they traded the righthander to Tampa Bay on Aug. 2. So the Mets quietly removed the promotion from their schedule.
On Monday, the club announced the replacement item: a T-shirt featuring their two prized rookie outfielders, who, in a coincidence, later that night combined to throw out three baserunners at home plate in the first two innings of the Mets’ 2-1 win over the Padres.
The shirts show the players pointing at each other as made famous by a Spider-Man meme.
“Once we knew we needed a new giveaway for Aug. 19, our in-house creative team worked to develop something we felt would resonate with our fans,” said Mets vice president of ballpark experience James Benesh. “Given the excitement around Carson and A.J. and how quickly our fans have embraced them, they felt like a natural fit. Our team came up with a great concept, and we were able to move quickly to bring it to life and create something we think our fans will be excited to take home.”
No disrespect to Peralta, but most Mets fans would probably rather have a Benge/Ewing T-shirt.
“100%,” said Mets fan James Ladalia of Massapequa Park. “I mean, they’re the future of the team. They’re blossoming superstars, in my opinion. Definitely Benge. He’s amazing in rightfield. So I would definitely rather have a T-shirt with them than Freddy Peralta.”
What happened to the 15,000 Peralta jerseys?
A team spokesman told Newsday the No. 51 jerseys were shipped to the team’s academy in the Dominican Republic, where they will be given away when the team hosts clinics and other events.
Peralta, who is from the Dominican Republic, was also honored by the Mets on July 25 with a bobblehead giveaway. The two scheduled promotional days speak of how the Mets expected Peralta to be a key part of a contending team.
But the veteran has had a poor season. He went 5-9 with a 4.99 ERA in 22 starts for the Mets and hasn’t been much better for the Rays, going 0-1 with a 7.53 ERA in three starts since the trade.
The Mets had a similar situation take place in August 2013 when they traded away outfielder Marlon Byrd on the day they were giving away a T-shirt with his name on it.
That time, the Mets still gave out the Byrd “Let It Fly” T-shirt along with other shirts from previous giveaways and also threw in two tickets to a September game, according to ESPN.com.
Anthony Rieber covers sports media and business and professional sports (you know, games and trades and things). He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since Jan. 1, 2026.
