At 30 years old, Freddy Peralta will be a free agent for the first time in his career.
He watched the franchise that made him a star celebrate a championship on Wednesday night, less than a year after they traded him to the New York Mets. The Brewers looked like geniuses when Peralta was struggling in New York, but the Tampa Bay Rays got him and fixed him.
He posted a 0.79 ERA in his final six regular-season starts and won the American League Championship Series MVP Award. He struggled in the Fall Classic, but to be fair, the Brewers gave every starting pitcher they faced problems. Nonetheless, Peralta reestablished his free-agent value and seems due for a nine-figure deal.
"I would like to come back," Peralta told reporters at his locker after the Rays lost Game 5 of the World Series, per Fox 13 News' Mark Skol Jr. "I know that I can't control some stuff, you know, for one reason or the other, but I would love to come back here."
Peralta signed an extension with the Brewers in 2020, so this is the first time he will be available on the open market. He is a two-time All-Star and could be an ace on most staffs around the league. The Rays got the most out of him and had him looking better than he did even with the Brewers.
The only problem is, the Rays don't typically spend big in free agency, and Peralta seems out of their price range. Even though he wants to stay, it's time for him to cash in, and it's unlikely he'll take a heavy discount to stay with the Rays.