Overview
- The New York Mets traded Freddy Peralta to the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday, with the clubs completing the deadline move that sent prospects the other way and freed Peralta to join Tampa Bay’s staff.
- Peralta is scheduled to make his Rays debut as the Tuesday starter at Coors Field, an immediate test that the club announced soon after he arrived and met with manager Kevin Cash and pitching coach Kyle Snyder.
- Peralta struggled in New York this season, posting a 4.99 ERA and a 1.478 WHIP over roughly four months, and evaluators flagged a drop in his arm angle from about 38 degrees last year to roughly 33 degrees as a likely mechanical cause.
- Rays executives said they view Peralta as physically intact and correctable, with president Erik Neander citing a possible psychological reset and the club’s pitching staff prepared to work on adjustments; Tampa Bay also made other deadline moves including adding reliever Tyler Wells and catcher/first baseman Liam Hicks.
- The move gives the Rays durable rotation depth ahead of the stretch drive while giving Peralta a short window to rebuild value before free agency, and he publicly thanked Mets fans while saying he welcomes the fresh start.