An early July NY Mets trade that isn’t so far-fetched

MLB is approaching the trade deadline, which means the stove is going to begin heating up. The New York Mets are no strangers to making trades early in July to acquire added pitching depth weeks before the deadline. In 2023, they acquired Trevor Gott from the Seattle Mariners, and last year, they traded for Phil Maton from the Tampa Bay Rays. While they were primarily salary dump moves, they were solid arms for the Mets down the stretch. If the Mets decide to make another move like this, they should target left-handed reliever Wandy Peralta.

Peralta is in his second year with the San Diego Padres. He currently owns a 3.68 ERA, 3.46 FIP, and 1.42 WHIP across 36.2 innings of work. Peralta induces soft contact at a high rate. Peralta is in the 87th percentile of exit velocity at 87.4 MPH and the 66th percentile of barrel percentage at 7.1%. His 58.4% ground ball rate comes in at the 96th percentile.

The biggest downside to Peralta’s game is that he has a sub-par 20.5% strikeout percentage and a 10.4% walk rate. But he gets batters to swing outside the zone and swing and miss at a respectable rate. The southpaw has a 31.1% chase rate, which is in the top 81st percentile, and a top 87th percentile whiff percentage at 31.5%. Overall, he’s pitching to a level you’d expect, with a 3.82 xERA, 3.76 xFIP, and 3.72 SIERA.

The veteran lefty makes a good fit for the Mets for multiple reasons. For one, they need more left-handed help in the bullpen. Both A.J. Minter and Danny Young, their two left-handed relievers from their Opening Day roster, both went down with injuries in late April, and both underwent different kinds of season-ending surgery. Young underwent Tommy John surgery on May 4, and Minter underwent lat surgery the next day. Since they went under the knife, the Mets have utilized a multitude of different left-handed bullpen arms, none of which have stuck.

Wandy Peralta makes a great trade candidate for the NY Mets.

Peralta has two player option years remaining on his contract for 2026 and 2027. They’re both relatively cheap as well, as both are worth less than $5 million. Minter signed a one-year contract with a 2026 player option, and Young is under control through 2030. However, bringing in Peralta lessens the blow of missing these two left-handers, who were projected to be important parts of the Mets’ roster over the next two seasons.

Another reason he’s a good fit for the Mets is that there is a prior connection. During the 2023-2024 offseason, the Mets expressed interest in adding another left-handed reliever, with Peralta named as one of the potential trade targets. Manager Carlos Mendoza is also familiar with Peralta. Peralta spent parts of the 2021 through 2023 seasons with the crosstown rival New York Yankees, the team for which Mendoza served as a coach from 2018 through 2023.

The Mets also wouldn't have to give up much to acquire Peralta. Peralta isn't the a go-to high-leverage arm for the Padres. The Mets are also taking on all his salary and the money they would have to give him if/when he opts in for 2026 and 2027. The Mets surrendered very little to acquire both Gott and Maton, as two other recent examples of the Mets going after a salary dump candidate in early July.

The Mets need help in their bullpen right now. They struggled badly in June and don’t have a reliable left-handed arm to call upon. Given their history of making an early July trade for a bullpen arm, Peralta’s solid numbers, and the previous interest and connection with the Mets and their manager, Peralta makes an outstanding fit for the team to go after.