The New York Mets thought they were acquiring an ace last offseason. 

They might've been. Only the All-Star right-hander never got comfortable in Queens, and his results didn't resemble the back of his baseball card. 

Now, Freddy Peralta is throwing the ball like the pitcher the Mets thought they were getting. 

Peralta was traded for a second time in less than a year, going from the Mets to the Tampa Bay Rays. 

"However, things turned around almost immediately after he joined the Rays. He had a 3.25 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in 55.1 innings to close out the regular season. He has also made two strong playoff starts, including six shutout innings against the Guardians in Game 2 of the ALCS," Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter wrote. 

Clearly, Peralta has found his groove with Tampa Bay.

He's finishing closer to home plate and doing a tremendous job of keeping hitters off balance with a mid-to-high 90s fastball and high-80s changeup. 

Reuter predicts that Peralta's success with the Rays will help him land a four-year, $80 million contract as a free agent. 

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"The Tigers gave Jack Flaherty a two-year, $35 million deal after an inconsistent season, but he didn't have the same track record as a frontline starter. The four-year, $80 million deal that Eduardo Rodríguez signed with the D-backs feels closer to the market Peralta can expect this winter, with an outside shot at a fifth year," he wrote. 

Typically, the Rays don't sign players to deals of that magnitude. 

But Peralta seems to enjoy playing for the Rays, and he could take a pay cut if there's nowhere he'd rather be. 

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