One of the most interesting teams at this year's trade deadline is expected to be the San Diego Padres.
The Padres have underachieved this season, but they find themselves just 2 1/2 games out of a wild card spot. They could be buyers, but also sell off some pieces to acquire young talent for the future. If they buy, it will likely be rental players who could help get them into October. New York Mets' Freddy Peralta would make sense for them.
Peralta has not been great for the Mets, but a change of scenery before free agency could do him some good. Michael King is currently the only Padres starter who has been playing well, and even in a down year, Peralta has a better ERA than Walker Buehler, Griffin Canning and Germán Márquez. The Athletic's Jim Bowden proposed this one-for-one trade that would send Peralta to the Padres.
- Padres receive: Freddy Peralta
- Mets receive: Kash Mayfield
Mayfield is the Padres' No. 4 prospect, so the Mets would be getting a young, controllable pitcher. Peralta has certainly lost himself some money with his performance this year, but he should have no trouble getting paid in free agency. However, if the Mets know that they won't re-sign him, shipping him off would make plenty of sense.
For the Padres, Peralta is an arm who could help them pass the teams ahead of them in the wild card race. He is a two-time All-Star and has a 3.69 ERA. The Padres are not going to win the division, but fringe upgrades could help them get into the dance, and after that anything can happen.