A Mets win is nice, but positive Freddy Peralta momentum is more important as trade deadline nears
Mets pitcher Freddy Peralta reacts on the mound after giving up two runs to Atlanta during the second inning of a game on Monday in Atlanta. Credit: AP/Erik S. Lesser
ATLANTA — When the Mets acquired Freddy Peralta, it was meant to be the crowning piece in a rotation that would eventually key them to a deep playoff run. By July 7, Peralta was taking the mound at Truist Park with a metaphorical “For Sale” sign.
That was the narrative going into Monday, though for a moment, Juan Soto — the team's lone All-Star and its path to the future — managed to distract from that with one mighty go-ahead, ninth-inning swing — a two-out, three-run homer. Devin Williams gave it back, allowing a two-run homer to Matt Olson, but then Luis Torrens lined a two-out, two-run double to the corner in left as the Mets held on for a 7-6 win over Atlanta in 10 innings, only their fourth victory in 13 tries.
Torrens’ hit put the Mets up 7-5, but Michael Harris II’s one-out double plated the ghost runner. Luke Weaver, though, stranded the bases loaded to end it.
But while a win is always nice, the reality is that right now, Peralta’s outing likely was more important to the Mets’ immediate prospects.
For the second start in a row, the pitcher derogatorily dubbed “Five-Inning Freddy” failed to live up to his moniker — and not in a positive way, though some of it was out of his control. Peralta allowed three runs, just one earned, with a walk and six strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings. He hit one batter and threw two wild pitches and labored through a second inning that featured an error by Jared Young that would have ended the frame after four batters but instead extended it to seven, with two ensuing unearned runs giving Atlanta a 2-1 lead.
Peralta threw 103 pitches, 61 for strikes, and allowed a third-inning leadoff homer to Olson.
All of it puts the Mets in a bind.
“I thought he competed like crazy,” interim coach Andy Green said. “He kept us in the ballgame the entire time and really competed well for us.”
Added Peralta: “I think I stayed focused. It doesn’t matter what happens behind me, I stayed focused on the game, kept making pitches and just kept trusting in myself and knowing that I’m really good.”
Pitching is always at a premium at the deadline, and there certainly will be candidates for Peralta, who is only 30 and a year removed from an All-Star season when he came in fifth in Cy Young voting. That said, he’s unlikely to get as big of a haul as the Mets were hoping for, though that could fluctuate depending on whether the Tigers are willing to part with reigning Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.
The righthander is also coming off a clunker in Toronto that had him addressing the media postgame with tears in his eyes: He allowed five runs in four innings, and going into Monday, had a 7.15 ERA over his previous seven starts. Going into Monday, his 4.81 ERA was 59th out of 64 qualified starters.
If the price isn’t right, the Mets could opt to keep Peralta and extend him a qualifying offer when his contract expires, though when he likely rejects that and goes elsewhere, the team would only get a fourth-round compensatory draft pick since they exceed the luxury tax threshold.
The good news is that Peralta still has time — he’s likely to get four more starts to influence his asking price, though given this year’s trajectory, that could go in either direction.
Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.
