The New York Mets traded Freddy Peralta to the Tampa Bay Rays at the trade deadline, and after a rough start, he has started to look like an All-Star again.
Peralta was acquired by the Mets in the offseason after an All-Star season with the Milwaukee Brewers. However, he had a 4.99 ERA in 22 starts with the Mets. He was not the ace they hoped for, and they decided to deal him before free agency.
Peralta had a 7.17 ERA in his first four starts with the Rays, but he was a work in progress. The Rays were making changes to his delivery and pitch usage, hoping they could fix him. Well, they are starting to see results. In his last four starts, Peralta has a 0.78 ERA, 17 strikeouts and has only issued four walks.
The Mets have raised his arm angle, getting it closer to what it was with the Brewers. His fastball has added some life with the change and is now a tougher pitch to hit. However, the biggest change has been the increased usage of his changeup. He has gone from throwing the pitch 20.8% of the time with the Mets to 28.8% of the time with the Rays.
“I can tell you that they helped me to get back on track,” Peralta told MLB.com's Adam Berry. “A lot of credit to the people around here, because they've been able to help me and make me feel the way that I’ve been feeling.”
The Rays are currently the top seed in the American League, and Peralta is looking like a great option for their postseason rotation right now. They had hoped they could fix him before October started, and he is trending in the right direction now.