The Mets' Argument For Not Trading Freddy Peralta Rests on Two Things
The New York Mets have struggled to this point in the 2026 season. Their 23-33 record through May 27 is closer to the bottom of the National League standings than the third and final NL Wild Card berth.
In a competitive league, and a division led by the team with the best record in baseball (the Atlanta Braves are 37-19 through May 27), it’s time for the Mets to think about selling before the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
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Arguably, their most attractive trade piece is pitcher Freddy Peralta. A two-time All-Star, Peralta is putting together another quietly solid season (3.52 ERA in 11 starts). Critically, he’s in the last year of a contract that pays $8 million plus bonuses for All-Star Game appearances, Cy Young Award votes, and various postseason awards.
Considering the Mets’ record and the state of their farm system, it makes more sense in theory to trade Peralta for prospects in his final year before free agency.
The Mets did not place a single player in the updated Top 50 prospect rankings released by The Athletic on May 28. MLB Pipeline ranks two Mets prospects among its Top 100, but both infielder A.J. Ewing and pitcher Jonah Tong are on the Mets’ active roster. Their “prospect status” could expire soon.
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In practice, two reasons stand out for keeping Peralta - and neither hinges on their chances of reaching the postseason (which FanGraphs estimates at 14.5 percent through May 27).
The best argument for keeping Peralta is if the Mets view him as a candidate to re-sign in 2027 - either via an in-season contract extension, a qualifying offer, or as a free agent. The MLB Players Association has proposed eliminating the qualifying offer, which could factor into the president of baseball operations David Stearns’ calculus.
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The Mets can receive a compensatory pick in the 2026 MLB Draft if Peralta receives and rejects a one-year "qualifying offer," a contract worth the mean salary of MLB's 125 highest-paid players. He can’t receive a qualifying offer from the Mets - or anyone - if he is traded during the 2026 season.
Peralta’s track record of success, diversity of pitches, and age (29) will make him an attractive free agent on the open market. The Mets might be concerned by Peralta’s diminished bat-missing ability; his strikeout rate is on pace to finish below 27 percent for the first time in his nine-year MLB career. But thanks to his ability to limit hard contact, Peralta’s expected ERA is essentially unchanged from the last three seasons.
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The other argument for keeping Peralta is if Stearns feels the right-hander is needed to anchor a 2027 rotation that should see the returns of injured starters Kodai Senga, Clay Holmes, Tylor Megill, and Justin Hagenman.
Add in youngsters Nolan McLean, Christian Scott, and Tong - plus former starters Tobias Myers and Sean Manaea, both under contract for next year and currently pitching out of the bullpen - and Peralta might give the Mets one starter too many in the eyes of Stearns.
The uncertain status of the qualifying offer in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement complicates this equation. But it’s something to consider as the trade deadline approaches. For now, the case for trading Peralta is less than crystal clear.
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This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 8:57 PM.