David Lennon: Mets' Freddy Peralta hasn't done much to help his value as MLB trade deadline gets closer
Mets pitcher Freddy Peralta on the mound in the third inning of a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field on Sunday. Credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara
Freddy Peralta entered the final week of his Flushing tenure with a sales pitch after Sunday’s so-so performance in the Mets’ 8-3 victory over the Dodgers.
There’s no more pretense when it comes to the Aug. 3 trade deadline. As long as Peralta is healthy — he appeared to survive Sunday’s four-inning stint intact — the pitcher acquired to be the Mets’ ace last January will be filling out a contender’s rotation in short order, only closer to the middle.
The only question left is what Peralta can fetch on the trade front, as a distressed asset with a 4.99 ERA that’s due roughly $2.82 million for the remainder of this season before he becomes a free agent. To that end, Peralta urged his list of suitors not to be fooled by his subpar numbers.
“I know that I can be way better than this,” Peralta said. “I still believe in myself. I am born to be a winner, not a loser. And I think I have a lot in me, a lot to show, and I know that it can change, because I still have time to make a change, to make it better.”
Peralta seems well-liked, and comes across as a solid clubhouse citizen. He’s always been great to deal with media-wise. But the season-long pledge to improve never came to fruition with the Mets, and he hasn’t done much to enhance his value as the deadline draws closer.
We’ll throw out the 10-hit, 10-run clunker he had back on June 20. But in the six starts since then, counting Sunday, Peralta has a 5.46 ERA, allowing 35 hits over 28 innings. It was only a week ago, after stumbling against his former team in Milwaukee, that Peralta sounded lost, saying that he didn’t know what was wrong.
That came off as a major red flag. But to the Mets’ relief, Peralta did a 180 during Sunday’s postgame, despite needing 93 pitches to navigate just four innings against the defending two-time world champs. According to Statcast, his velocity and movement were up to standard. But the pesky Dodgers just wore him out by fouling off pitches and extending at-bats, as they did during the third inning with Freddie Freeman’s RBI double and Max Muncy’s run-scoring groundout.
This time, when Peralta was asked if he found any answers, he nodded.
“Yeah, especially how my fastball was today,” Peralta said. “It reminds me a little bit of the best version of myself and I felt comfortable with that.”
Right on cue, just what all the Mets’ trading partners needed to hear. The one sticking point? Peralta’s inability to get past those four innings, and for someone that’s barely averaging five over his 22 starts, not exactly front-line material. Plus, interested teams like the Cubs and Brewers could need him to get through the Dodgers come October, and this current version of Peralta offered no signs of being that guy.
What Peralta has been is durable, and that reliability is useful for clubs grinding down the stretch for a playoff spot. Not surprisingly, Andy Green -— who got bumped up from farm director to be his manager for the past month — happily gave his endorsement for Peralta as an October weapon.
“I trust him because he is going to catch his rhythm and go dominate five or six innings, which is all you’re ever looking for from a starter in a postseason situation,” Green said. “So he’s a guy that has the track record, has the experience, has the stuff. It is going to continue to trend back towards what he’s always been historically.”
Maybe so. But that never happened for the Mets, and Peralta’s inability to live up to expectations is a major reason why they’re deadline sellers currently on pace for 95 losses this season. To his credit, Peralta has fully copped to his role in the Mets’ disaster, only now has one eye on the exit.
He’s scheduled to get one more start in a Mets uniform, likely Friday at Citi Field against the sinking Marlins — losers of 12 straight. But does president of baseball operations David Stearns want to risk injury or another blow-up by sending him to the mound again? There are other names that could impact Peralta’s value, too, depending on what the Tigers decide to do with Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize, for instance.
While Peralta didn’t exactly dominate Sunday, the Mets did benefit by showcasing a few other key trade pieces. Tyrone Taylor, who started again in place of the injured Juan Soto, put the Mets ahead with a three-run homer in the sixth inning and is heating up at the perfect time. Since coming off the IL in late June, Taylor is hitting .382 (13-for-34) over his last 17 games with four doubles, five homers and a 1.403 OPS, which is the highest in the majors from June 28 (minimum 30 plate appearances). His recent outburst, for a pending free agent, will certainly punch Taylor’s ticket out of Queens as well.
“I’m just bracing for each moment here, man,” Taylor said when asked about the deadline. “Not thinking anything of that at all, besides just being present.”
He’s not going to be present with the Mets much longer. Like Peralta, and a handful of other Mets, it’s now just a matter of when.
“It’s not easy to not think about it,” Peralta said. “But at the end of the day, it’s business, and I have to understand that.”
At this point, he probably can’t wait.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
