Breaking Down The Three Prospects Coming To Mets In Freddy Peralta Trade

[Tom Gatto]

Image courtesy of USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect - Gary Gill Hill Shown

The second piece of the New York Mets’ 2026 sell-off is out the door, as right-hander Freddy Peralta moves to the Tampa Bay Rays. As with all the deals team president David Stearns will make between now and the 6 p.m. ET Monday trade deadline, prospects comprise the return. In this deal, Stearns has plucked two who appear to fit the profile that he favors.

In exchange for seven weeks of Peralta, the Mets on Sunday acquired three minor leaguers: outfielder Aidan Smith, right-hander Gary Gill Hill and infielder Emilien Pitre. None of them were ranked in MLB Pipeline’s overall Top 100 or Rays Top 10. Smith was ranked highest at 15th among Rays prospects, followed by Hill at 26th and Pitre at 27th.

So, what will each player bring to the Mets’ organization? A quick rundown:

Aidan Smith

Smith, 22, has not advanced past Single-A in his five pro seasons since being drafted by the Seattle Mariners out of a Texas high school in 2023. This year, the 6-1, 190-pound center fielder settled at High-A Bowling Green, where he put together a .215/.283/.410 slash line with 10 home runs in 228 plate appearances.

Prospect Savant puts his hard-hit percentage in the 83rd percentile and his barrel rate in the 76th percentile among High-A hitters. But while he hits the ball hard, he doesn’t hit it enough. Strikeouts are a real problem (32.0 percent K rate at Bowling Green, 27.9 percent for his career). His walk rate is in the 43rd percentile.

Speed is not a problem, however. He had back-to-back seasons of 41 stolen bases in 2023 and 2024. A hamstring injury delayed his 2026 season debut to early May, one reason he’s at 16 steals in early August.

Smith is on his third organization since being drafted. The Mariners sent him to the Rays in the Randy Arozarena trade in July 2024. Now, he’s headed to the Mets, where he brings the type of athleticism Stearns desires.

Gary Gill Hill

Hill, 21, is a local kid; he went to John F. Kennedy Prep in Somers, N.Y., in Westchester County. The Rays took him out of that school in the sixth round of the 2022 draft.

He has advanced to Double-A Montgomery in his fourth pro season, working a regular turn for the Biscuits. His overall numbers there were underwhelming: a 1.39 WHIP, a 17.7 strikeout rate, a 2.9 percent home run rate, and a .305 opponents’ batting average.

On the plus side, some of the peripherals are, well, plus. He stays in the zone, as evidenced by his 4.1 percent walk rate (96th percentile among Double-A hurlers) and near-the-top ranks in strike percentage (95th percentile) and zone percentage (96th percentile). In fact, he has almost as many walks (14) as homers allowed (10) at Montgomery. Also, his ground ball rate is in the 76th percentile.

Hill also has international experience after pitching twice for Great Britain in this year’s World Baseball Classic.

Emilien Pitre

Pitre, 23, was the Rays’ second-round pick in the 2024 draft out of the University of Kentucky by way of Canada (he’s a Quebec native). He is primarily a second baseman, with 26 games of experience at shortstop.

He has been excellent at the dish since his promotion to Double-A in mid-June: a .323/.451/.492 slash line (152 wRC+) in 163 plate appearances for Montgomery. The power isn’t quite there (three home runs, 14 extra-base hits total), but the speed sure is (11 steals, although in 18 attempts). Again, that’s something Stearns covets.

And, his bat-to-ball skills are off the charts: 70 walks to 40 strikeouts in 384 PAs between two levels this season, and a 30:17 ratio at Double-A. His K and whiff rates are in the 98th percentile among Double-A hitters, his walk rate is in the 94th percentile, and his Z-contact rate is in the 95th percentile. It all adds up to a .418 wOBA with the Biscuits.

The 5-11, 185-pound Pitre seems to fit exactly the “Brewers East” mold Stearns seems to have cast as Mets POBO.

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