​NEW YORK — As the first pitch between the Mets and Marlins reached home plate, Freddy Peralta was not at his expected post.The right-hander was along the dugout railing, all smiles in a black Mets hoodie as Kodai Senga unfurled an opening strike.Peralta was a late scratch from Friday’s start as trade talks intensified with teams across Major League Baseball with Monday’s trade deadline on the horizon.The Mets saw it in their best interest to protect their asset in Peralta.”That doesn’t mean something is going to materialize tonight, but once talks got to the level that they’re at, it just became the prudent path for us,” Mets interim manager Andy Green said. Meanwhile, Senga returned to the major league mound for the first time in nearly three weeks. He was informed he would be starting about four hours before scheduled first pitch, signaling how unsettled the current state of the Mets’ rotation is at this point.Freddy Peralta’s time coming to an end?Peralta’s short time with the Mets, after he was acquired from the Brewers in the offseason for right-hander Brandon Sproat and infield prospect Jett Williams, appears to be all but over.He expected as much after his last start. Friday was the latest sign it will be a reality that Peralta’s next start will come in a different uniform. “I know it probably is, but I have to focus and keep giving the best of myself, and if it happens, it happens,” Peralta said on July 26. “I’m thankful and grateful to be a part of this organization.”Peralta is coveted for his past success more than what he has done for the Mets this season. In his previous three seasons combined with the Brewers, Peralta was 40-25 with a 3.40 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. He tossed at least 165 innings in each season while striking out 200 batters or more. Last season, when he won 17 games and posted a 2.70 ERA, he notched his second All-Star selection and finished fifth in NL Cy Young voting.That made this season that much more perplexing as Peralta has gone 5-9 with a 4.99 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 113 strikeouts in 113⅔ innings.And now, the Mets will move forward with a much younger guard as Nolan McLean, Christian Scott and Zac Thornton as key pieces, along with veteran Sean Manaea, who is signed through 2027.What’s next for Clay Holmes?Will Clay Holmes’ next start come in the minor leagues, with the Mets or elsewhere?That is the biggest question facing the Mets over the next few days as Holmes’ name has surfaced in trade speculation as he works to return from a fractured fibula. Holmes threw a side session before Friday’s game, targeting Sunday for an outing in some capacity at a current unknown location.”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 (to pitch Sunday) and that is what he’s headed towards right now,” Green said.If Holmes is still in the Mets organization, though, would it be worth it to throw him out there one more time?Holmes i