Back around mid-April, it was reported that the New York Mets carried a CBT payroll of more than $375 million for the 2026 season. Fast forward to the end of the first half, and the Mets are 40-56, sitting at the bottom of the NL East. Clearly, that payroll and many of the Mets’ offseason additions have failed to make the desired impact. And Freddy Peralta is one of them, as was evident again in Saturday’s game against the Boston Red Sox. So, where did he fall short this time?

“The walks,” Peralta answered simply, per SNY Mets on X, when he was asked about the most frustrating part of his outing.

Peralta’s outing lasted 92 pitches on Saturday, and fortunately, the damage was limited to just two runs. But it could have been much worse, considering he issued five walks over 4.1 innings, including two to lead off innings. His pitch count climbed quickly as he struggled to retire Red Sox hitters.

The 30-year-old has issued more than five walks only once this season, when he allowed six against the New York Yankees in May.

Peralta tried calling his own pitches during the Mets’ 4-0 loss, but it did not help. After a dominant first inning where he retired the side, Peralta’s control slipped. He escaped a bases-loaded jam in the second inning after walking Masataka Yoshida and Carlos Narvaez. Peralta also gave up leadoff walks to Caleb Durbin and Tsung Che-Cheng in the following innings.

He allowed only three hits in total, including a two-run shot to Andruw Monasterio. But his high walk rate prevented him from going deep. This season, Peralta holds an 8.8% walk rate while his strikeout rate has dropped significantly to 22.0%.

After having another short outing for the Mets, Peralta dubbed it a “terrible feeling.”

“I’ve been struggling, and I’m just, I’m working on it, trying to navigate this; it’s been difficult,” the Mets’ ace added, per SNY Mets.

This season, the right-hander went 7 innings deep only once, against the Miami Marlins on May 23. Following Saturday’s outing, Peralta holds a 5-8 record, and his ERA dipped to 4.66.

He was pulled for Huascar Brazobán in the fifth inning after he allowed a walk to Wilyer Abreu and loaded the bases. Brazobán escaped the jam quickly, recording two outs to end the inning.

Acquired via trade from the Milwaukee Brewers, Peralta is in the final year of his contract. His salary for 2026 is $8 million. With the Mets’ disastrous run this season, currently second-worst in the NL, the Mets are most likely headed for a trade deadline sell-off. And that means that they are not in a position to add anything except for better players at this point. So, instead of October baseball, August 3 is probably a more important date for the franchise right now.

Peralta might be a valuable trade chip for the Mets, but his underperformance and inability to eat up innings will most likely cast doubt on his value on the trade market. The Mets have the option of either finding a suitable trade partner or letting him walk in free agency. Whatever the decision might be, his future looks uncertain.

In fact, Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report even proposed the idea of trading him to the Chicago White Sox.

“So, is this a Zac Gallen situation, in which a great pitcher suddenly lost his touch once he started pitching for a contract? Or is Peralta the ultimate ‘just needs a change of scenery’ candidate, liable to lock back in once he gets out of the Mets clubhouse?” Miller wrote. “Should be a long line of teams willing to bet on the latter, especially with Peralta only making $8M this season.

“And while the ahead-of-schedule White Sox will be more reluctant than most to part with one of their upper-echelon prospects, they would probably be willing to give up a platter of lottery tickets for a Peralta rental.”

Moreover, Peralta not receiving any run support from the Mets’ lineup did not help either.

Mets’ lineup falls flat in front of Red Sox rookie

The Boston Red Sox recalled Eduardo Rivera from Triple-A Worcester to start Saturday’s game. It turned out to be a lucrative decision, as the Red Sox recorded their eighth straight win. The rookie, who had played in only one big-league game before, put on an impressive show.

He struck out three and walked two in 3.1 innings and only allowed one hit to the Mets. After Jorge Polanco’s single, Chad Tracy pulled the 23-year-old.

In the seventh inning, the Mets loaded the bases as Bo Bichette walked with two outs. It was the first real chance the team had of scoring. But they failed to cash it in, as AJ Ewing struck out looking to end the inning.

On Saturday, the Mets went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position for a second straight game. It marked the ninth time the Mets’ lineup was shut out this season. They managed only three hits in total, and it was the eighth time this year that the Mets were limited to three or fewer hits. Now that certainly doesn’t give a good look.