The Philadelphia Phillies could use a starter for the backend of their rotation, and they are reportedly interested in Clay Holmes and Freddy Peralta of the New York Mets.
Matt Gelb of The Athletic mentioned the Phillies' interest in Peralta and Holmes, but adding a starter from the Mets may be more difficult for the Phillies than for other teams. Sure, the Mets are sellers, but they may still have reservations about helping a rival chase a World Series.
Peralta is having a down year, but he was an All-Star last season, and his velocity is still the same. He may need to pitch to his fastball more, but to trade for him, the Phillies would have to feel confident that they could get him back to being the pitcher he was with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Holmes seems like a safer bet for the Phillies, however. He signed with the Mets to be a starter after turning into an All-Star reliever with the New York Yankees. He was solid in his first season as a starter, making 30-plus starts. This year, he was pitching great through nine games before taking a comebacker off the leg and fracturing his fibula.
He had a 2.93 ERA through nine starts and has looked good in his rehab starts. He could be ready to return to the big leagues very soon and would slot in very nicely on the backend of the Phillies' rotation. He gets a ton of ground balls, and his arm is fresh after being sidelined for most of the year.
Holmes has a $12 million option for next season, which he will likely decline. Peralta is on an expiring deal and is due just over $3 million for the rest of the year.