New York Mets starting rotation options behind the main five

David Peterson

For those unfamiliar with David Peterson, allow me to give you the rundown. Standing in a 6′ ft 6″ In at 240 lbs, Peterson was drafted by the Mets out of the University of Oregon 20th overall in the 1st round of the 2017 MLB Draft.

A left-handed starting pitcher, Peterson is regarded as one of the Mets top prospects and going into spring training this season, there was a buzz about him potentially making the jump to the major leagues this season.

Peterson’s fastball sits in the low-mid 90s, but is regarded by scouts as having excellent control over his off-speed pitches, particularly, in his curveball and slider. He has shown an excellent ability to strike players out with them, as he recorded 122 Ks over 116.0 innings with Double-A Binghamton last season.

Admittedly, while Peterson does have a world of potential, he still may not be major league ready, as the highest professional level he played at was Double-A last season, and he ERA was a 4.19 in 24 starts.

Despite this, he did perform well in spring training earlier this year, recording a 1.50 ERA over 6 innings, and if the Mets are in a pinch and need another starter, taking a gamble on Peterson could be well worth it.

Seth Lugo

Arguably the Mets’ most consistent relief pitcher over the past few seasons, Seth Lugo could also be a great option to replace a turn in the starting rotation should a need arise.

Lugo was originally brought up to the Mets roster back in 2016 to fill in the rotation, and despite predominantly being used as a reliever, he has made 31 career starts over his 4 years at the major league level.

Over his 4 year career, Seth has appeared in 151 games and recorded a 3.27 ERA, and last season, was entrusted to close out games for the Mets late in the year following struggles by Edwin Diaz.

Lugo has often stated that his preference is to be a Starting Pitcher, and given the chance, he could flourish in that role as he as coming out of the bullpen for New York.

However, the thing that could stand in the way of this is the fact the Lugo has been the anchor of the bullpen for the past few seasons, and the Mets may not want to lose the ability to play their best reliever late in games.

While this certainly shouldn’t stop Lugo from being considered to replace a starter, the Mets have opted to keep him in the pen in the past in favor of another starting pitcher, and if being placed in that situation, they may once again do the same.

Corey Oswalt

Speaking of spot starters, Corey Oswalt made his major league debut for the Mets back in 2018 as a spot starter and ended up starting 12 out of the 17 games he appeared in for New York that year.

Oswalt did appear in two games out of the bullpen for the Mets in 2019, but the rotation remained healthy for the most part, so he was relegated to the minor leagues. Oswalt spent the majority of the season in Triple-A Syracuse, where he recorded a very respectable 2.82 ERA in 18 starts.

Corey has been given a more prominent role in the Mets Summer Camp and is certainly a name to watch in case a spot opens up in the rotation.

The Mets gave him a big spotlight as he was entrusted to start the second intrasquad game against the Yankees last Sunday, meaning they wanted to give him an opportunity to earn a spot on the team just prior to the start of the season.

While he admittedly got roughed up, giving up 2 runs over 3 innings, Oswalt has overall had a very impressive Spring Training this season, posting an overall 2.45 ERA. After his impressive season with Syracuse last year, he could serve as a viable candidate to potentially replace an injured starter.

Stephen Gonsalves

Originally drafted by the Minnesota Twins back in 2013, Stephen Gonsalves is another left-handed starter in the Mets Player Pool, and in my opinion, a dark horse candidate to make the team and potentially serve as a replacement in the rotation.

Despite being drafted in 2013, Gonsalves is relatively young, as he is only 26-years-old. He made his major league debut for Minnesota back in 2018, after posting a 2.76 ERA in the minor leagues earlier that season.

His initial call up was less successful, however, as he appeared in 7 games, starting 4 of them later part of the season, posting a 6.57 ERA. Gonsalves was sent to the minor leagues to continue developing, however, he missed most of the 2019 season due to injury and the Twins released him that offseason, allowing the Mets to claim him off waivers.

Gonsalves had a successful spring training for the Mets, pitching 5 scoreless innings over the course of his appearances, and in an intrasquad game last week, he pitched very competitively against much of the Mets starting lineup.

He may not be a known name to Mets fans, but in the event of an injury to one of our pitchers, Gonsalves could be one of the team’s best options to make a spot start.

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In a 60-game season, the Mets look prepared with enough starting pitching depth to handle the rigors of Major League Baseball.