Freddy Peralta Faced His Old Team, And His 6.67 ERA Is Still Haunting the Mets

Tampa Bay right-hander Freddy Peralta took the mound tonight against his former New York club, a month after the Mets traded him away. It was a 6:40 ET first pitch from Tropicana Field, with the AL East-leading Rays coming in as -137 money-line favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook, and the Over/Under for total runs set at 8. These “karma” games are always wild in MLB, especially when a player faces a team that just moved him.

The Peralta Bet That Didn’t Pay Off

The Mets’ original deal for Peralta looked so good on paper. They snagged the veteran right-hander, fresh off a spectacular 2025 season with the Brewers, for their No. 3 overall prospect Jett Williams and No. 5 prospect Brandon Sproat. I personally loved that deal for the Mets; Peralta was 30, still in his prime, and a pending free agent, so he should have been super motivated. But some guys just can’t handle pitching in the high-pressure environment of New York, and Peralta definitely fit that mold alongside other names like Carl Pavano and Sonny Gray. He struggled, going 5-9 with a 4.99 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP in 22 starts for the Mets. From May 23 through July 20, things got even worse, as he put up a brutal 6.67 ERA over 11 outings.

Tampa Bay’s Pitching Magic, Again?

By early August, Peralta’s value had plummeted, forcing New York to trade him to Tampa Bay for three low-level prospects: the Rays’ No. 12, 15, and 17 overall guys. It’s a classic Rays move; they just seem to win every trade, and nobody knows pitching better. Peralta, who has lost velocity on his fastball this year, hasn’t exactly lit it up with his new club, going 1-2 with a 5.60 ERA in five starts. However, he showed a glimmer of hope last Wednesday. He threw six shutout innings in Detroit, allowing only two hits, striking out four, and giving up no walks. It was his first outing of the year with zero free passes. Tonight, he had to build on that.

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Originally reported by CBS Sports.