New York Mets Hurdling Toward Trade Deadline Fire Sale

“The Mets absolutely stink, and rival executives believe they have virtually no chance to turn it around,” Bob Nightengale wrote for USA Today. “This is why the Mets soon may be the center of attention once they realize that this season is a lost cause, letting their rivals know they are open for business. They have three of the top trade chips in the game in starters Freddy Peralta and Clay Holmes and infielder Bo Bichette.”

The Mets missed the playoffs last year and attempted to rebuild their roster by replacing departing stars like Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz with new ones.

But now, if the Mets are unable to turn their season around soon, they may have little choice but to acquire what they can at the trade deadline for the players who might be looking for new contracts over the winter.

New York Mets’ Freddy Peralta Responds To Trade Speculation

And that could include Peralta, who was acquired for the final year of his contract in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers.

The 29-year-old has a 3.12 ERA with 43 strikeouts across his first eight starts with the Mets, following an All-Star campaign last year, and he could command a nine-figure, long-term deal moving forward. Even if the Mets would like to serve as his home following this season, they might explore a trade that gets them something in return for the second half of this lost campaign.

But, for his part, Peralta tried to deflect a recent question about potentially becoming the center of a fire sale in Queens.

“Really, I haven’t thought about that, because I have hope and faith that we can achieve a lot with the team we have,” Peralta told MLB.com’s David Venn. “I have confidence in the guys, and I have confidence in myself as well. I think we can turn it all around.”

For the time being, at least, Peralta summarized his outlook on a potential fire sale amid the team's struggles with a simple four words:

“I love being here,” he added, per Venn.