Braves 'best' trade deadline target is struggling Mets' 4.68 ERA ace

Braves ‘best’ trade deadline target is struggling Mets’ 4.68 ERA ace originally appeared on The Sporting News.
Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Atlanta Braves are heading towards the 2026 MLB trade deadline as clear buyers, and with how the team has struggled lately, it’s very apparent what this team needs.

There are two spots the club can look to fill: shortstop and starting pitcher. But, with a barren shortstop trade market, the rotation is the much more likely area to fill.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan linked the Braves to their “best match” at this year’s trade deadline, and it’s the NL East rival New York Mets, struggling.68 ERA ace, Freddy Peralta, who would fit nicely onto this Braves pitching staff.

Braves ‘best match’ at trade deadline is Mets’ Freddy Peralta

“Best match: Freddy Peralta,” Passan writes. “… And even if certainty isn’t exactly what Freddy Peralta has provided for the. Mets this season, there’s enough history there for Atlanta to treat him as the upgrade he would be.”

This season, Peralta has a 4.68 ERA for the Mets with a 5-7 record and just 0.1 bWAR in 19 starts with 98 strikeouts and 14 homers allowed in 100 innings of work.

It’s been a rough season for Peralta, and while the Braves might ideally want someone better, like a Tarik Skubal or Joe Ryan, Peralta is likely the much more affordable starter to target this summer.

As opposed to spending a fortune to try to pry an ace away from a franchise, the Mets are going to be looking to sell Peralta, and shouldn’t ask for too much.

MORE: 3 reasons why Braves are perfect fit for Tarik Skubal at MLB trade deadline

While his 2026 production might be a little worrying, there’s enough history, with his 2.70 ERA All-Star season with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2025, and his 3.59 ERA in Milwaukee for the last eight years, as a reason to invest in Peralta.

Peralta would be the Braves’ “best match” at this year’s deadline, as he’d be a nice complement to the current rotation as a high-upside starter who can start a postseason game or two.

Atlanta desperately needs rotation help, and Peralta makes a ton of sense for this franchise. The in-division nature of a deal shouldn’t stop a trade from being made, as the Mets shouldn’t be picky about where Peralta, their struggling ace, ends up this summer.

More MLB news: