Mets yank Peralta, then un-yank him, with deadline bidding heating up

Freddy Peralta's turn in the rotation has turned into full-blown theater. He was supposed to start Friday night against Miami like normal, then hours before first pitch the Mets pulled him as a healthy scratch, a classic sign a front office is trying to protect a trade chip from one bad outing derailing the return. Then, just as fast, the club reversed course and put him back on the mound for one final tune-up before Monday's deadline.

MLB Trade Rumors

@mlbtraderumors

Mets Scratch Freddy Peralta From Start Due To Increasing Trade Interest t.co/nofLF4mZMm

Jon Heyman called the scratch exactly what it looked like. "He's now scratched, a sign interest is legit now," he wrote, and Mark Feinsand noted Peralta had just joined Casey Mize of the Tigers in what's becoming an unofficial deadline-week fraternity: the "in case he gets traded" club.

Mark Feinsand

@Feinsand

The Mets have now scratched Freddy Peralta, joining Casey Mize of the Tigers in the “in case he gets traded” club.

The Mets acquired Peralta from the Brewers back in January in a package for Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams, betting on a two-time All-Star who'd posted a 2.70 ERA the year before. It hasn't worked. Peralta's been rocky all year, sitting around a 5-9 record with a 4.99 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP through 22 starts, the kind of season that turns a buy into a sell. He's got no club control beyond 2026, which makes him a pure rental for whoever lands him.

That's where Ken Rosenthal's report adds the juiciest wrinkle. He flagged a Peralta-Counsell reunion as an intriguing possibility, pairing Peralta back up with the manager who oversaw his best years in Milwaukee before Counsell left for Chicago.

Ken Rosenthal

@Ken_Rosenthal

Peralta-Counsell reunion an intriguing possibility. Mets also talking to other clubs. Story with @PJ_Mooney and @WillSammon, unlocked and free to read. t.co/Ko9NWQFuGN

The Padres and Diamondbacks are also in the mix, both looped in as scouting Peralta before the scratch drama even started, and Heyman's notes have him grouped with names like Detmers, Ray, Gausman and Singer as arms the market is watching while everyone waits on the Skubal domino to fall first. Reports out of the Mets asking for a top-100 prospect and more tell you exactly how they're valuing him despite the ugly ERA — buyers pay for name recognition and track record, not just this year's stat line.

So Friday's start against the Marlins is really an audition dressed up as a normal fifth game in the rotation, with scouts from multiple clubs watching every pitch before the Monday deadline decides where Peralta pitches next.