Freddy Peralta Traded to Rays from Mets, Latest Rumors on Return Ahead of MLB Deadline

As the New York Mets push through what's been a very disappointing 2026 season, they are taking steps to help their future after trading Freddy Peralta to the Tampa Bay Rays, according to The Athletic's Will Sammon.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported the return going to New York:

The Rays will also take on the full $2.4 million owed to Peralta with no additional money coming from the Mets in the trade, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

Peralta was an offseason acquisition by the Mets, who traded two of their top five prospects to the Milwaukee Brewers for the two-time All-Star. He was supposed to slot in with a very promising rotation that included Nolan McLean, Clay Holmes and Kodai Senga.

Things didn't really come together for that group, primarily because of injuries to Holmes and Senga. Senga struggled through four starts at the beginning of the season before landing on the IL due to lumbar spine inflammation.

Holmes was pitching well through the first two months before May 15 when a liner off the bat of New York Yankees DH Spencer Jones hit him in the leg and fractured his fibula.

Those are just a few of the many issues that have plagued the Mets in 2026. Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor have missed extended periods due to injuries. They have spent most of the year fighting with the Miami Marlins for last place in the NL East.

All of this made Peralta an obvious trade candidate. He is in the final season of his current contract, has a solid track record as a playoff performer and is a rare quality starter available during a season who could bring back a nice return for the Mets.

Peralta is also struggling in his contract year after finishing fifth in NL Cy Young voting in 2025. The right-hander has a 4.99 ERA with 113 strikeouts in 113.2 innings.

As teams make plans for the stretch run, one thing that frequently comes up is pitching depth. The Rays are making this move with the hope Peralta can turn things around to solidify their starting staff for the remainder of the regular season and for a potential playoff push in October.

Give credit to Tampa Bay because it's at least trying to take advantage of contention windows when they open.

The Rays have been a pleasant surprise already with the best record in the AL (65-45), but they have very little margin for error because the Yankees are hot in their heels in the division.

Tampa has gone through most of this season with four traditional starters and an opener. Adding Peralta into the mix gives the Rays five viable starters. He joins a group that features Nick Martinez, who is on the shortlist of AL Cy Young contenders, Drew Rasmussen and Shane McClanahan.

Combine that quartet with Tampa's lineup, led by Junior Caminero and Yandy Diaz, this is a group that has as high of a ceiling as anyone in the AL.

The Mets will receive three prospects in outfielder Aidan Smith, second basemen Emilien Pitre and pitcher Gary Gill Hill. Smith is the No. 15 rated player from the Rays organization, per MLB.com.