Mets deal RHP Peralta to Rays, net trio of prospects

NEW YORK -- Freddy Peralta, a hyped offseason addition who wound up flopping in his brief tenure with the Mets and becoming a symbol of the last-place club’s shortcomings, is moving on to a contender.

The Mets traded Peralta to the Rays for three prospects during Sunday’s 2-0 loss to the Marlins at Citi Field. The team will acquire outfielder Aidan Smith, right-hander Gary Gill Hill and second baseman Émilien Pitre, Tampa Bay’s 15th, 26th- and 27th-ranked prospects.

TRADE DETAILS

Mets receive: OF Aidan Smith (No. 12), 2B Émilien Pitre (No. 15), RHP Gary Gill Hill (No. 17)
Rays receive: RHP Freddy Peralta

“It sucks, because it means we haven’t gotten it done,” Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor said. “When you play the way we’ve been playing, things like this happen. People lose jobs. People get traded. And it can turn ugly. Now we have a job ahead of us that we’ve just got to make the most out of this. Hopefully, we don’t lose that many guys.”

A polarizing trade candidate if ever there was one, Peralta came to the Mets in January for prospects Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat. At the time, the deal seemed like a coup for New York, which was in desperate need of an ace. Peralta certainly had the résumé to qualify, having made two All-Star teams and pitched to a 3.59 ERA over eight seasons in Milwaukee.

But Peralta did not start strong for the Mets, and things only worsened from there. From May 23 through July 20, he produced a 6.67 ERA over 11 starts, sinking the Mets’ playoff hopes while simultaneously dampening his own trade value.

“I know he’s disappointed by it,” interim manager Andy Green said. “He came here to anchor a rotation and felt the weight of that. From talking to him, he certainly doesn’t feel like it went the way he hoped it would. I think we all feel that way. I think where we are today screams that we’re all wishing we were in a different spot.”

At his best, “Fastball Freddy” is capable of throwing in the upper 90s with his four-seamer while supplementing it with five other pitches. But Peralta has rarely been that pitcher this season. He’s lost velocity off his fastball, as well as some of the signature extension that gave hitters even less time to react. His strikeout rate is way down; his walks are up. Yet Peralta insists the raw materials of an ace are still present, and his skills as a clubhouse presence add to his value.

“We’re going to miss a great teammate -- somebody who always kept it light and had a smile on his face every single day and competed his butt off,” Lindor said.

Perhaps a new pitching coach will be the key to unlocking it. Over four months, the Mets weren’t able to do so.

They’ll instead try to develop three new prospects, including Smith, a 2023 fourth-round Draft pick who moved from the Mariners to the Rays in the 2024 deal that brought Randy Arozarena to Seattle. The 22-year-old Smith, who has spent most of his Minor League career roaming center field, was hitting .215 with 10 home runs and a .693 OPS in 49 games at High-A Bowling Green. A strong defender capable of playing all three outfield positions, Smith has mostly struggled offensively since a strong season as a 19-year-old in '24.

Gill Hill, 21, is a New Rochelle native who attended John F. Kennedy Catholic Preparatory School in Somers, N.Y. One rival scout described him as an extreme strike-thrower with “underwhelming” stuff, which has led to a 4.49 ERA this season over 20 starts split between High-A and Double-A.

Pitre, 23, was the Rays’ second-round Draft pick in 2024. The native Canadian is a high-contact, low-power middle infielder who reached Double-A earlier this season. In 88 games there prior to the trade, Pitre slashed .323/.451/.492.

With Peralta and Tarik Skubal off the board, teams in need of pitching are running out of options. The Mets control one other prominent starter, Clay Holmes, who made a third rehab start Sunday with High-A Brooklyn as he looks to return from a fractured right fibula. They are also likely to deal a number of relievers before Monday’s 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline, including left-hander Brooks Raley.