Freddy Peralta Drawing Interest From 1 AL Contender

Believe it or not, the New York Mets will be sellers at this year's MLB trade deadline. Before the season began, the Mets had postseason hopes and dreams. 

Yet, manager Carlos Mendoza has been fired, and now, offseason acquisitions, such as Freddy Peralta and Luis Robert Jr., could be moved at the deadline. 

MLB insider Mark Feinsand predicted that five Mets players would be traded, including Peralta and Clay Holmes, as well as three relievers. 

Peralta seems like the biggest trade chip for New York, although he is a rental and hasn't had a great year compared to his time with the Milwaukee Brewers. 

Still, teams will be interested, and the Tampa Bay Rays are the latest team to show interest in Peralta, and Tampa Bay also is inquiring on Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, via a report from Fansided's Robert Murray. 

"The Tampa Bay Rays are exploring a multitude of options to upgrade the major-league roster and have expressed interest in Los Angeles Angels infielder Zach Neto and New York Mets right-hander Freddy Peralta in addition to Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal, according to major-league sources," Murray wrote. 

The Rays rotation has been excellent, so while starting pitching doesn't feel like a need, the injury history for Shane McClanahan and Drew Rasmussen have Tampa Bay considering adding some depth before the playoff pish. 

Moreover, perhaps a change of scenery could ignite a comeback for Peralta, and a playoff push might be even more motivation for the ex-Brewers star to get back on track in a contract year. 

"Some evaluators wonder if Peralta would benefit from a change of scenery. Adding to the intrigue and potential to buy low is that his $8 million salary (roughly $3 million the remainder of the season) allows almost any team to be involved," Murray added. 

However, the Mets gave up Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams to acquire Peralta, and that's a hefty price for not even one full season. 

That means a return for Peralta might not be cheap, although the Mets almost certainly won't recoup that type of value. 

Initially, New York had hoped to sign Peralta long-term, but that doesn't appear to be the case anymore, especially with 2027 looming with potential lockout discussions. 

At the end of the day, the Mets need to flip some players while they can, and the Rays might be willing to pay up considering their hopes of a World Series this time around.