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Rays Already Making Positive Adjustments for Freddy Peralta
Aug 4, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Freddy Peralta (51) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Rays Already Making Positive Adjustments for Freddy Peralta

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Rays on SI
By Kenneth Teape  |  Last updated Aug 15, 2026 6:00 AM ET
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There were some mixed reactions for the Tampa Bay Rays when it was announced they acquired starting pitcher Freddy Peralta from the New York Mets ahead of the MLB trade deadline.

In need of rotation help, Peralta certainly is capable of providing it. However, there was some debate over whether the Rays overpaid to acquire him, especially when compared to what other rental starting pitchers cost on the market.

Also, his production thus far in 2026 was underwhelming. With the Mets, he had a 4.99 ERA across 113.2 innings with a -0.2 bWAR. That poor production has followed him to Tampa Bay, where he has made two starts thus far and has a 9.31 ERA in 9.2 innings. However, there is reason to believe that better days are ahead.

For starters, he won’t be starting games at Coors Field or Sutter Health Park, home of the Colorado Rockies and Athletics, which are both hitter havens. Making his next two starts at Tropicana Field will certainly help, but the most encouraging sign is the adjustments the staff is already making with him.

What adjustments have Rays made to Freddy Peralta?

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As shared by Running From The OPS on X, Peralta featured a new pitch mix in his outing against the Athletics. Against left-handed hitters, he relentlessly poured in changeups, almost at the same rate as he threw his four-seam fastball.

One of the issues he was running into with the Mets was that his four-seamer wasn’t as effective. Dialing that offering back, as he did against the Athletics, throwing it 31 times, and using his changeup more, which he threw 29 times, is one effective way to combat the drop-off in effectiveness.

For the season, Peralta has relied heavily on his fastball, throwing it more than half the time at 52%. His change was used only 25% of the time, but shrinking that gap is something the Rays may have identified as a way to get him back on track during a tumultuous 2026.

There is very clearly talent to work with after Peralta was an All-Star in 2025, leading the National League with 17 wins and producing a 5.5 bWAR. One way to help regain that form was to improve his extension, which was also down thus far this year.

In another post on X from Running From The OPS, side-by-side video of Peralta’s delivery shows subtle changes that are already being made in his short time with Tampa Bay compared to what he was doing with the Mets.

More extension, getting down the pitching mound faster and a better mix of his arsenal are the ingredients to turn things around. If there was an organization that would be able to coax the 2025 version of Peralta out, it is the Rays.

He will be on the mound this weekend against the Baltimore Orioles, and it will be worth keeping an eye out for if these adjustments continue.


This article first appeared on Tampa Bay Rays on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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