All eyes on Mets hurlers Peralta, Holmes as Trade Deadline nears

NEW YORK -- Two Mets starting pitchers enter this weekend in limbo. One will likely make his next start. The other one probably won’t.

Unless he is traded before 7:10 p.m. ET on Friday, Freddy Peralta will pitch against the Marlins that night, according to interim manager Andy Green. The manager added that he won’t announce a plan for Clay Holmes until after Holmes throws a bullpen session Friday. However, a source with knowledge of the situation said it “doesn’t appear” Holmes will come off the injured list to pitch Sunday -- a start he would otherwise be in line to make.

It’s entirely possible the Mets trade Holmes before then. But even if they don’t, there’s little point in them risking an injury or poor performance for Holmes after he successfully completed his rehab assignment with four scoreless innings earlier this week at Single-A St. Lucie. Holmes, who has been sidelined since mid-May due to a fractured right fibula, is one of the Mets’ most valuable Trade Deadline assets.

“We will continue to evaluate that as we get closer to the Deadline,” Green said when asked about a Sunday start for Holmes. “Obviously, anybody can count out to figure out where five days is from now, and it’s Sunday before the Deadline. So [we] acknowledge that there’s a decision to be made around that. We’ll partner with him in making that decision. We’ll have to wait until he gets past his bullpen regardless to make a declaration of what’s next.”

Both Holmes and Peralta can be free agents after the season, which is why the Mets are highly likely to trade both of them off their last-place roster.

But unlike Holmes, who fared well during his rehab start in front of scouts from the Rangers, Rays, White Sox and others, Peralta has had little success in recent weeks, pitching to a 7.34 ERA over his last nine outings. Those same teams sent scouts to Citi Field this weekend to monitor a number of players. A strong start from Peralta could nudge his value higher just days prior to Major League Baseball’s Trade Deadline, which is Monday at 6 p.m. ET.

Before his injury, Holmes produced a 2.39 ERA in nine starts. Peralta has a 4.99 mark in 22 outings.

Both Holmes and Peralta understand the current situation, though neither can predict the future. Asked after his last start if he believed it was his final one with the Mets, Peralta responded: “I know it probably is.”

“I have to focus and keep giving the best of myself,” Peralta added. “If it happens, it happens. I’m thankful and grateful to be part of this organization. I know so far I’ve let them down. I haven’t done what I was supposed to do.”

One rival talent evaluator suggested that for Peralta, the Mets should be able to acquire a single prospect in the 5-10 range on an organization’s Top 30 list. Holmes should fetch the Mets more.

“I’ve stated how I feel about the Mets -- just grateful for the opportunity here and guys in this clubhouse, getting to play with them and what this organization is,” Holmes said last week. “As a player you want to leave this place better than you found it. What that looks like, I don’t really know. But I have to do all I can to make sure that no matter what happens, hopefully things are better here when I leave -- whenever that is."