The Mets’ addition of Freddy Peralta, and the right-hander’s subsequent performance on the mound, was a microcosm of what didn’t go right for the club this season.

Acquired in a trade with Milwaukee that sent Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat to the Brewers, Peralta came to New York to be the team’s ace, with a chance to sign a multi-year contract extension that would keep him in New York for a long time.

But Peralta struggled to the tune of a 4.99 ERA, and the Mets traded him to the Tampa Bay Rays ahead of the deadline.

Now, Peralta is set to take the ball against New York on Tuesday night.

“It’s a challenge. Every game for me, I think I take it the same way,” Peralta said on facing the Mets. “I just come in to compete and try to get the win.”

Peralta was an All-Star with the Brewers in 2025, pitching to a 2.70 ERA and finishing fifth in NL Cy Young voting. But for whatever reason, things just didn’t click in New York.

“It was the first time that I was struggling like that, but I never give up,” Peralta said. “I was always trying to find a way to feel better, to pitch better. I knew what I could do, and I was feeling good physically too and healthy, but I couldn’t make an adjustment. The good thing is that now I’m different, I feel different and I plan to keep going until my worst year is over.”

Despite his struggles on the mound, the veteran right-hander says that he’ll remember the people that made his time with the Mets special.

"I made good friends there, really good friends,” Peralta said. “People there, they took care of me really well. For me, that’s a little sad.”

Peralta is now on a first-place team, as the Rays look to hold off the Yankees (currently 4.5 games up) in the AL East race. He’s had his struggles as a Ray as well, pitching to a 5.60 ERA, but he’s coming off his best start, going 6.0 shutout innings against Detroit in his last outing.

He’ll look to keep that up on Tuesday, when he faces Sean Manaea and his former team.

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