With just a couple days left before the trade deadline, there are rumors that the White Sox discussed trading with the Mets for Freddy Peralta, but that talks have stalled.
If this is the case, it's good news for the White Sox. Peralta is in the middle of the worst season of his career, with 4.99 ERA and 1.48 WHIP. Earlier this year, he made one of the worst starts in all of 2026, when he gave up 10 runs to the Phillies in 2.2 innings.
If his contract terms were different, this might not be a bad trade. Peralta is talented even though he's struggling now, and it's likely he'll bounce back next season. The Sox need more starting pitching, and while they have a lot of good prospects, none of them are sure-fire bets for 2027. They've had a gap in their rotation's No. 5 spot for most of this year; lately those games have been going to Noah Schultz, but he has a 5.82 ERA across 65 innings pitched.
Freddy Peralta strikes out 3 in the 5th inning 😤
— MLB (@MLB) October 4, 2025
He's got 9 on the day! #NLDS pic.twitter.com/iVdgYowzDD
But Peralta is up for free agency after this season. Unless the White Sox offer him an extension, which feels unlikely at this stage of the season, the only production they'll get from him is for the remainder of this year. The rumor is that the two sides discussed George Wolkow and Boston Smith, who are two of the best power-hitting prospects in the White Sox farm system.
Trading two high-ceiling prospects for a pitcher who is only under contract for a few more months is a tough sell. If he's having an off year, it's unjustifiable. An extension is possible, especially since Peralta's value will be down after a bad season, which would give the Sox the opportunity to buy low on him. But they'll have time to sign starting pitchers during the off-season, and it's hard to commit to Peralta when he's under-performing, especially when the Sox have some good prospects coming up. If they decide they want Peralta during the off-season, they could always bid on him then.
Freddy Peralta isn't enough of an upgrade to be worth the cost
The reason you sign a rental pitcher before the deadline is to upgrade your rotation for the playoffs, hoping to win some games in the margins. But Peralta can't deliver that with the season he's been having. The White Sox starting pitching ERA is 4.29 this season, according to Statmuse. That means Peralta's output would actually be worse than the team's average output. They'd need to hope he comes to Chicago and improves his performance, and it's a big gamble.
Peralta would likely replace Noah Schultz in the No. 5 spot, and he's having a better season than Schultz is. The other option for a No. 5 starter would be David Sandlin, who had a 6.05 ERA in his 4 major league starts. By those standards, Peralta would be an upgrade, but not enough to justify giving up two prospects for him.
The White Sox are an offense-heavy team who wins most of their games by scoring a lot of runs. Elite pitching is always a difference-maker, but upgrading from mediocre production to slightly-less-mediocre production doesn't seem worth it.
The Sox should focus on their future and either trade for a pitcher with some remaining years of team control, or keep playing their prospects in the rotation. If they really want to use a rental, they should trade for a pitcher like Foster Griffin, who has been doing well enough to make a difference this year.
The White Sox have a strong farm system filled with good prospects. Hagen Smith, Shane Smith, Schultz, and Sandlin are all part of their future plans. Even though they've struggled this year, they're talented pitchers who will be great for the team going forward.
Trading for Freddy Peralta doesn't make sense. The White Sox should shoot their sights higher and get a pitcher who can do more for them this season.
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