Mets trade Freddy Peralta to Rays for three prospects

It didn't take long for the Freddy Peralta era in Queens to go from big offseason splash to full-blown teardown. The Mets sent the right-hander to the Rays for a package of three prospects, closing the book on what Barstool bluntly called 'the Peralta Mets disaster.'

Clem 🏆

@TheClemReport

The Freddy Peralta Mets Disaster Ends With Him Being Shipped To The Rays For Three Prospects t.co/JZHj7dG71k

The return wasn't a blockbuster. New York gets outfielder Aidan Smith, infielder Emilien Pitre and pitcher Gary Gill Hill, none of whom cracked the top 15 of Tampa Bay's system, and the Rays are absorbing the roughly $2.4 million left on Peralta's deal with no money coming back from the Mets. For a pitcher New York gave up two of its own top-five prospects to acquire from Milwaukee just months earlier, that's a brutal return trip.

Peralta simply never got going in Flushing. After the trade from the Brewers, he posted a 6.67 ERA over 11 starts between late May and late July, and by deadline day the Mets were more interested in dumping the money than extracting value. Once the sell-off started, Barstool Baseball framed it as just the opening move.

Barstool Baseball

@StoolBaseball

The first of many trades coming for the Mets Freddy Peralta is heading to the Rays

Mets fans were not thrilled. Frank Fleming spent the afternoon torching the front office online, calling the return 'trash' and declaring 'David Stearns is the worst thing that ever happened to the Mets.' Rumors bounced around about who else might be headed out the door — Fleming floated Cedric Mullins as part of the return before the real prospect names came out — and Eric Hubbs later noted that per MLB Pipeline, none of the players New York got back were ranked inside Tampa Bay's top 15. The vibes were bad, and the Barstool office leaned into it.

Viva La Stool

@VivaLaStool

After what the Mets did at yesterday’s trade deadline, Frank couldn’t care less about the inner office drama

Peralta's first outing in a Rays uniform did nothing to soften the mood back in New York. The Rockies rocked him for 7 runs in his Tampa Bay debut, including a Willi Castro homer that turned an early lead into a laugher.

Barstool Baseball

@StoolBaseball

The Rockies have 7 runs off Freddy Peralta in his Rays debut

For Tampa Bay, the bet is that Peralta slots into a rotation already stacked with Drew Rasmussen, Shane McClanahan and Nick Martinez and simply needed a change of scenery. For the Mets, this is now officially a teardown — cheap talent, salary relief and a front office in Stearns bracing for more fan backlash as August unfolds. Nobody in Queens is calling this a win, but at this point, getting off the hook for the money might be the best they can say about it.