I always enjoy "karma" games in Major League Baseball, and by that I mean a well-known player facing a team he just recently was jettisoned from via trade or the like. That's certainly the case tonight when the Mets visit the AL East-leading Rays with Tampa Bay's Freddy Peralta on the hill against his ex-New York club. It's a 6:40 ET first pitch from Tropicana Field.
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They have money to burn thanks to MLB's richest owner in Steve Cohen, but no doubt the farm system got worse because of Peralta. The Mets landed the veteran Milwaukee right-hander, who was coming off a spectacular 2025 season with the Brewers, for New York's No. 3 overall prospect at the time in position player Jett Williams and No. 5 in pitcher Brandon Sproat Some guys just can't handle pitching in the stressful environment of New York, and apparently Peralta is in that group with some dudes like Carl Pavano, Hideki Irabu and Sonny Gray. I personally loved that deal for the Mets, because Peralta was going to be duly motivated this year as a pending free agent and still squarely in his prime at age 30.
But he was 5-9 with a 4.99 ERA 1.48 WHIP in 22 starts with the Mets -- from May 23 through July 20, he produced a 6.67 ERA over 11 outings -- before he was traded to Tampa Bay at the deadline. Needless to say, Peralta's value was way down by that point in early August, so New York got three low-level prospects in Tampa Bay's No. 12, 15 and 17 overall guys. Place your Mets-Rays wagers and get up to $1,500 in bonus bets back at BetMGM Sportsbook:: You should never trade with the Rays, because they seem to always win them as it is.
And maybe no franchise knows pitching better. Peralta, who has lost velocity on his fastball in 2026, has gone a not-great 1-2 with a 5.60 ERA in five starts with his new club, but maybe the Dominican found something last Wednesday. He threw six shutout innings in Detroit with just two hits allowed, four strikeouts and no walks – Peralta's first outing of the year with no free passes.
"Mechanically, I had everything working today," said Peralta afterward. "It gave me more confidence earlier. I know that I'm going to take it from here.
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