The One That Got Away? Freddy Peralta Is Pitching in the World Series While the Mets Watch

Every October, a fan base finds a new way to hurt. This year, Mets fans get a particularly specific one: Freddy Peralta, the right-hander New York acquired from Milwaukee last winter, just pitched Tampa Bay into the World Series and walked away with ALCS MVP honors.

Let's start with the numbers, because they sting. In the ALCS against Cleveland, Peralta went 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA. He threw six scoreless innings in Game 2, then gave the Rays 5⅓ innings of one-run ball in the Game 6 clincher, a 7-3 win. Since landing in Tampa on August 2, he has been about as steady as a pitcher can be. His 10 regular-season starts there produced a 5-2 record and a 3.25 ERA, plus an AL Pitcher of the Month nod for September.

Now the Mets side of the ledger. Peralta made 22 starts in Flushing and went 5-9 with a 4.99 ERA. He opened with a 3.10 ERA through his first nine outings, then the wheels came off, with a 6.44 ERA over his final 13 turns before the deal. That is not a pitcher anyone was begging to keep while the club slid toward a 74-88 finish and last place in the NL East.

So here is my honest fan take: this is not a trade to rage about. Peralta was a rental headed for free agency, the Mets were out of the race, and what they got back was a three-prospect package: outfielder Aidan Smith, right-hander Gary Gill Hill, and infielder Émilien Pitre. All three came from Tampa Bay's top 30 per MLB Pipeline. Selling a struggling, expiring arm for future pieces is exactly what a losing team should do.

But I would be lying if I said watching him dominate did not bother me. The question it raises is not about the trade. It is about the pitching infrastructure. Peralta's strikeout rate with the Mets sat well below his career norm, then he walked into a new clubhouse and looked like himself again. Sometimes that is just a hot streak and a pennant-race adrenaline rush. Sometimes it is a fit, a plan, a pitch mix, a catcher, a coach. As the Mets reset their baseball operations and hunt for the right voices around Andy Green, they should be asking hard questions about why a veteran arm tailed off in Queens.

And the timing adds a twist. Peralta's World Series opponent is Milwaukee, the team that shipped him to New York in the first place, and the Brewers won a franchise-record 103 games this year. Peralta told reporters, per the Associated Press, "I think that this was the right place." Ouch, but fair.

What should Mets fans watch next? First, the prospects. Smith was a 2024 fourth-round pick, Pitre is a 23-year-old second baseman who has hit well across High-A and Double-A, and Hill is a 21-year-old who threw strikes in Double-A this year. None of them fixes 2027 by himself, but a club thin on infield help can use real depth. Second, the Mets' own free agency plans. Pitching has to be the priority this winter, and the memory of Peralta at his best should make decision-makers think carefully about who they trust to develop and coach it.

Third, and this is the fan part: root for the baseball. Peralta is a good guy and a great story. I just hope that next October, the story is about a pitcher the Mets keep, not one they send away. What do you think, was it the right sell, or did the Mets miss something? Tell us on MetsXMFanZone.