Rays Have Means To Meet High Asking Price for Mets Pitcher

The New York Mets have set a high asking price on one of their pitchers.

Mar 16, 2017; West Palm Beach, FL, USA; A view of a New York Mets hat and glove in the dugout during a spring training game against the Washington Nationals at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Tampa Bay Rays were already in the market for a starting pitcher, but their urgency to make a deal to bolster their rotation has definitely increased with the injury to Shane McClanahan.

He was forced to leave his most recent start against the Texas Rangers early because of a back ailment that is going to land him on the injured list. Luckily, it doesn’t sound like it is too serious an injury, as he is expected to miss two starts.

However, a team that was already on the lookout for starting pitching help will certainly increase its efforts to bring in reinforcements. One of the players they have been connected to is Freddy Peralta of the New York Mets.

Interest in Peralta remains incredibly high despite his struggles on the mound this year. As a result, it isn’t all too surprising to hear that the Mets have set a relatively high asking price on their starting pitcher.

Mets have set high asking price on Freddy Peralta

Jul 11, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets pitcher Freddy Peralta (51) delivers a pitch during the third inning against the Boston Red Sox at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As shared by Will Sammon and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required), it is going to take multiple players, including a top prospect, to land Peralta.

“The New York Mets are asking teams for a top-100 prospect and more in their early conversations with teams about Freddy Peralta, said people familiar with the discussions who spoke on the condition of anonymity in exchange for candor,” they wrote.

While that may seem excessive for a player who has recorded a -0.2 bWAR this season and a 4.99 ERA, it isn’t as wild of an asking price as one would think. Last year, Dustin May was traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers and brought back James Tibbs III, who is now a top 100 prospect.

A similar package of players was acquired by the Arizona Diamondbacks when they traded Merrill Kelly to the Texas Rangers, bringing back David Hagaman, Mitch Bratt and Kohl Drake. Hagaman and Bratt are both top 10 in the organization, per MLB Pipeline, and Drake is No. 22.

Rays have farm system depth to acquire Peralta

Jul 20, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; New York Mets pitcher Freddy Peralta (51) prior to the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Like Peralta, May and Kelly were both impending free agents when they were traded. There are a lot of evaluators who believe Peralta will be able to bounce back to the norm he has shown the last few years with a change of scenery, which New York is certainly baking into the asking price.

And, when you take into account how many teams are pursuing Peralta, a bidding war could ensure that results in the Mets getting exactly what they are looking for.

Should he be who the Tampa Bay front office deems their No. 1 target, they have the means to get a deal done. The Rays have one of the deepest farm systems in baseball and plenty of players who are going to be Rule 5 Draft eligible that can be used as trade chips.

However, one prospect who won't be involved in trade talks is Theo Gillen, who won't even be offered for Tarik Skubal.