Chicago Cubs Could Be Interested In Trading For Mets Newly-Acquired ‘Ace’

Chicago Cubs Could Be Interested In Trading For Mets Newly-Acquired ‘Ace’

The New York Mets’ season is circling the drain, and the trade deadline vultures are circling as well. According to a report from Steve Adams from MLBTradeRumors.com via Bruce Levine of 670 The Score, the Chicago Cubs have inquired about the possibility of trading for starter Freddy Peralta at the deadline.

Part of this rumor makes sense, while another part sounds very far-fetched. The sensible part is that the Cubs are off to a very strong start despite having multiple starters on the injured list, so exploring the starting pitching market early is a smart move.

Including Peralta in their phone calls makes sense, too. Peralta has been a 5-6 inning pitcher for the Mets so far, which is a problem given that the Mets bullpen already has an abundance of those kinds of starters, and their bullpen has already been extended multiple times already as New York continues to struggle.

Those struggles are an interesting part of this conversation as well. The Mets have a strong prospect pipeline, with starters like Jonah Tong and Jack Wenninger waiting in the wings, and you can make the argument that they’re already ready for a summer call-up. Tong especially had some impressive moments in his late-season stint for the Mets, so there’s nothing wrong with letting him learn at the big-league level if the Mets fall further out of contention.

The part that doesn’t make sense is that the Mets traded young starter Brandon Sproat to get Peralta, and Sproat is a significant asset who’s starting to figure it out in a long relief/spot starter role. The Mets also gave up prospect Jett Williams, who could also have a bright future with the Milwaukee Brewers, and it’s way too soon to give up on Peralta, who could still get hot and go on a run if the Mets can start to hit.