With just two weeks remaining until the MLB trade deadline, the 42-58 New York Mets are one of the few teams who have already declared themselves a seller.
According to a July 16 report from SNY's Chelsea Janes, the Mets have officially informed teams that they are open for business on any player not named Juan Soto, Nolan McLean, Carson Benge, A.J. Ewing, and Christian Scott.
This of course excludes right-hander Freddy Peralta, who was acquired in the offseason to be the frontline starter to elevate a rotation that struggled mightily down the stretch last year. Peralta has not lived up to these expectations, posting a mediocre 4.66 ERA through 20 starts.
With the 30-year-old set to become a free agent at the end of the season, the obvious move for the Mets would be to get some prospects in return for him at the deadline rather than lose him for nothing at the end of the year. In a July 20 article from The Athletic, MLB insider and former GM Jim Bowden predicted a potential trade package that would send Peralta to the San Diego Padres in return for pitching prospect Kash Mayfield.
Even though Peralta's value is hurt by his performance and status as an expiring contract, the Mets could still have a good number of suitors who will need to bolster their rotation for a postseason push. Other National League teams that stand out in this respect would be the Chicago Cubs, the Atlanta Braves, and the Milwaukee Brewers, who had originally moved on from Peralta in exchange for prospects Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams.
The always unpredictable Padres are an interesting fit into this group. At 49-50, they are just 2.5 games back from a Wild Card spot. But in a tough National League, there are currently four teams squeezed between them and the St. Louis Cardinals for the third Wild Card berth.
Without a realistic chance of winning their division, the results over the next two weeks will likely determine what president of baseball operations A.J. Preller decides to do with his squad at the deadline. If they can put together a run and decide to add around the margins, Peralta makes sense as an arm that wouldn't cost the farm but could tap into an upside that saw him pitch to a 2.70 ERA in 2025.
In return, Bowden has the Mets landing left-hander Mayfield, who ranks as the fourth overall prospect in the Padres' minor league system. Mayfield was the 25th overall pick in 2024 and currently holds a 3.20 ERA across 14 starts in High-A. At 21-years-old, the Mets wouldn't expect Mayfield to make an impact in the next couple of years, but recuperating some minor league pitching talent will be an important step moving forward for president of baseball operations David Stearns.
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Dealing Peralta without the leverage of extending him makes things complicated, but if other contending teams are in on him the price could raise much higher than just one team's top five pitching prospect. Though at the same time, if teams like the Padres fall out of contention, this market could become all the more limited.
The Brewers will welcome Peralta back on Monday night as he is set to start opposite his former team and young ace Jacob Misiorowski for the first of a three-game set in Milwuakee.
