NEW YORK - The New York Mets brought Freddy Peralta aboard in late January to handle outings like Sunday's clash with the Los Angeles Dodgers. They pictured a top-line starter who could tame the league's most potent offense during the push toward October. Peralta was intended as a key element in a potential championship run. Yet after months of setbacks, his stay in Queens is nearing its end.

With the Aug. 3 trade deadline near and the team's postseason outlook dim, Peralta, who will enter free agency this offseason, sensed that Sunday marked his probable farewell appearance in a Mets jersey.

"I know it probably is," the 30-year-old Peralta said. "But I have to focus and keep giving the best of myself. And if it happens, it happens. I'm thankful and grateful to be part of this organization. I know that, so far, I've let them down. I haven't done what I'm supposed to do. But I'm grateful to be here."

Peralta's outing Sunday in the Mets' 8-3 victory - three runs allowed (two earned) on 93 pitches across four innings - marked an improvement from his prior start, when he surrendered seven runs in 5 1/3 innings, a result that captured the season's letdowns.

He finished with a 4.99 ERA across 22 starts. He reached the sixth inning in just 11 of those outings and completed five innings in 15. He has fallen short of the expectations set when the Mets dealt two top prospects to the Milwaukee Brewers for him and Tobias Myers, now in Triple-A, aware that he had one year left before free agency.

"We haven't done what we were expected to do, in general, especially when I speak about myself," Peralta said. "I know that I can be way better than this. I still believe in myself. I am born to be a winner, not a loser. And I think that I have a lot in me, a lot to show, and I know that it can change because I still have time to make a change, to make it better."

Even amid the difficulties, Peralta's history makes him appealing to teams in contention. A two-time All-Star, he arrives after a standout year with a 2.70 ERA over 176 2/3 innings for the Brewers. Peralta expressed satisfaction with his fastball command Sunday, even as the Dodgers extended his pitch count through lengthy at-bats filled with foul balls.

"It reminds me a little bit of the best version of myself," Peralta said. "And I feel comfortable with that."

Two innings after Peralta departed, Tyrone Taylor, another leading trade candidate, shifted the contest with a go-ahead three-run homer. The sixth-inning shot extended Taylor's strong stretch since returning from the injured list last month; the outfielder is hitting .382 with five home runs and a 1.403 OPS in 39 plate appearances.

Like Peralta, Taylor faces free agency soon. Unlike Peralta, he noted he has given little thought to a likely trade by Aug. 3. Mets interim manager Andy Green said Taylor, an outstanding defender, is slated to start a couple of games against the Atlanta Braves this week, offering clubs seeking an outfielder a chance to evaluate him.

Peralta's last showcase may have come Sunday. Like much of the season for the Mets, it fell short of hopes.

"I understand the business part and I understand how it works," Peralta said. "But I cannot control that. I just have to wait and come back here tomorrow and the next days and just do my best."