NEW YORK — Freddy Peralta has likely thrown his last pitch in a Mets uniform. It’s more than likely that Clay Holmes has too.

The scheduled starter for the second game of a four-game set against the Miami Marlins was on track to pitch as early as Friday morning. As negotiations progressed ahead of Monday’s trade deadline, the Mets ultimately opted to scratch the right-hander. This was always the obvious move. Pitching him would have given him one more chance to show that he’s still a viable starter, but it also would have risked an injury that could have derailed a deal.

Right-hander Kodai Senga started against Miami instead of Peralta.

“I think as talks have intensified — and I won’t get into characterizing where they are at this point in time — it just became a prudent path for us,” interim manager Andy Green said Friday at Citi Field.

With the way he’s pitched with the Mets this season, it could have further cratered his trade value. Peralta is currently the second-worst qualified starting pitcher in baseball with a 5-9 record, a 4.99 ERA and a 4.46 FIP. He’s been one of the more disappointing acquisitions in years, coming to the Mets from the Milwaukee Brewers in a heralded trade in January to lead the rotation.

Outside evaluators have theorized that the Mets are to blame for Peralta’s sudden nosedive, especially since he’s been healthy. Still, we won’t really know until after he’s traded and starts pitching for another team.

Sources told the New York Daily News the asking prices for Peralta are extremely high. The Mets are seeking a package centered around a top-100 prospect. The club believes they can get this because of a thin market for starting pitching. High asking prices are consistent among the sellers right now. With so many teams only a few games out of the postseason standings, the losing teams have leverage.

The Mets, San Francisco Giants, Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Angels, Kansas City Royals and the A’s are the only guarantees. The Detroit Tigers could unload pending free agents as well, but the price of ace Tarik Skubal is probably out of the question for several teams. According to Ken Rosenthal, the Brewers are willing to take on the rest of Skubal’s contract, which could put them out of the running for a reunion with Peralta.

The Mets traded rookie right-hander Brandon Sproat and infield/outfield prospect Jett Williams for Peralta and right-hander Tobias Myers over the winter. At the time, the deal was more palatable with Myers included since he still has years of team control, but the 27-year-old swingman hasn’t been the same pitcher with the Mets that he was with the Brewers either. Myers is 0-2 with a 6.65 ERA in 26 big league appearances this season, and 1-1 with a 5.28 ERA in Triple-A.

Again, it makes you wonder if it’s the Mets.

Holmes, who is still on the injured list, is on track to pitch Sunday in the series finale, but considering he could be the Mets’ most valuable trade piece, the Mets will have to throw someone else. The club has not committed to using him before the deadline, but the right-hander threw a side session Friday with the intention of being ready for a Sunday start.

“We had that conversation earlier today; that’s how he’s approaching it at the present moment,” Green said. “Obviously, things change really quick at this time of the year with everything that’s spinning, and that could possibly change. But that is his intent, and that is what he’s heading towards right now.”

The Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs have interest in Holmes, according to sources.

Left-handed reliever A.J. Minter was traded to the Minnesota Twins late Thursday night. The core of the bullpen is expected to depart before the deadline, including left-hander Brooks Raley, the longest-tenured pitcher on the roster. Raley came to the Mets in a Winter Meetings trade in 2022. Now 38 in his fourth season with the Mets, he’s affectionately referred to as the “dad” of the pitching staff, often seen giving advice to the rising rookies on the team.

“They keep me young,” he said Thursday night after recording what could be his final win with the team.

Raley has gone 10-8 with a 2.33 ERA since coming to the Mets from the Rays. A trade would be a chance for him to pitch in the postseason again, something he hasn’t done since 2022. He missed the Mets’ 2024 playoff run, having undergone ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgery on his elbow earlier that season. While he’s excited about that possibility, he’s also been open about how much he enjoyed his time with the Mets and how much he’ll miss playing in Flushing.

“I’ve developed a lot here,” he said. “I thought I knew who I was as a player when I came over from Tampa, and this organization kind of embraced me. Obviously, had a little turnover in the time, and met a lot of great players and great, great, great teammates. I navigated a big market. It’s a special place to play, for sure.”

Marlins 5, Mets 2

Senga (0-8) pitched well enough for four innings, but he quickly ran out of gas in the fifth, facing three batters without getting an out. The Marlins scored four times in the fifth, chasing Senga from the game. The right-hander was charged with three earned runs on two hits, walking two and striking out four.

Right-hander Janson Junk (5-6) held the Mets to only one unearned run over five innings. Francisco Lindor hit his ninth homer of the season in the seventh off right-hander Calvin Faucher.

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