Cardinals Claim Left-Handed Pitcher Off Waivers From Rockies
Colorado designated Peralta for assignment last week to make room for right-hander Blas Castano, whom they claimed from Seattle.
The Cardinals had an open 40-man roster spot following the designation of Jared Shuster two weeks ago and used it to grab Peralta, who has been optioned to Triple-A Memphis with no corresponding moves required.
The Case For and Against
Peralta, 25, is the younger brother of New York Mets' right-hander Freddy Peralta, and the family resemblance in terms of pure stuff has always been there.
Originally a starter in the Pittsburgh Pirates system, he was moved to a relief role in the minors and the results in that new profile during 2024 were striking.
Between the Pirates and the Rockies, he tossed 47.2 minor league innings that year, allowing only 0.94 earned runs per nine with a 40.1 percent strikeout rate and a 48.8 percent ground ball rate.
We have claimed LHP Luis Peralta off waivers from Colorado and optioned him to Memphis (AAA). pic.twitter.com/odkBqF7ghj
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) April 27, 2026
He also posted a 0.73 ERA in his first 12.1 big league innings after the Pirates traded him to Colorado in the deal that sent Jalen Beeks to Pittsburgh.
That was the version of Luis Peralta that had scouts excited. The 2025 version was almost unrecognizable.
He posted an ERA above 9.00 in both the majors and the minors. His 28 percent strikeout rate in Triple-A was still good but a significant drop, while his walk rate climbed all the way up to 15.4 percent. In the majors, his 17.8 percent walk rate was worse than in the minors and also higher than his 15.8 percent strikeout rate.
Why the Cardinals Made This Move
For the Cardinals, despite a 14-13 record, they have long planned for 2026 to be an evaluation year. They are less focused on immediate contention and more worried about long-term development.
Peralta fits that philosophy precisely.
His stock is down at the moment, but the Cardinals will see if there is a path to getting him back to that 2024 form. Peralta can be optioned for the remainder of this year and one additional season. If things click, he has less than a year of service time, meaning he could be affordably controlled for years into the future.
Freddy Peralta’s brother Luis was just DFA’d by the Rockies. Should the Mets take a flyer on the hard throwing lefty? pic.twitter.com/IEAnBwqnMC
— Master Flip 🇩🇴 (@Masterflip_) April 21, 2026
The upside if the 2024 version returns is a high-leverage left-handed reliever with elite strikeout stuff and ground-ball tendencies on a pre-arb contract.
The downside is a Triple-A depth arm who never figures out how to throw strikes consistently enough to stick at the big league level.
Photo Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
