Nick Piecoro The Arizona Republic The Diamondbacks on Saturday made a deal that felt almost inevitable: shipping veteran left fielder David Peralta, the club’s longest-tenured player, to Rays in exchange for a low-level minor league prospect.
“It was an emotional conversation; it was a tough conversation,” Hazen said. “He brought energy, enthusiasm and he was a really good player for us.” In return, the Diamondbacks will receive Christian Cerda, a 19-year-old catcher who has put up impressive numbers in a handful of games in the rookie-level Florida Complex League.
Originally signed out of Venezuela as a pitcher by the Cardinals in 2004, Peralta endured shoulder problems and was released five years later. He reinvented himself as an aggressive-minded corner outfielder, making multiple stops in independent leagues in his early-to-mid-20s before the Diamondbacks signed him midway through the 2013 season. Peralta started in High-A and broke into the big leagues less than a year later.
"I’m still processing," Peralta said."It’s been tough. I’ve been with this team my whole career. It’s a different feeling. It’s not just a team for me, it’s my family. I know it is what it is, it’s part of the other side of the business. I just have to say goodbye to everyone." Dealing Peralta saves the Diamondbacks roughly $2.9 million, the amount still owed to him of the $7.5 million he is making this year. Peralta signed a three-year, $22 million extension in January 2020.