Mets: Three reasons David Peterson will help the Mets this offseason

Peterson saves the Mets some money they can use elsewhere

The capitalist in me loves the idea of having a talented player earn as little as possible yet producing at a much higher rate. Peterson will get paid in the future if he keeps this up. For now, the Mets need to take advantage of having a solid arm in their rotation not earning arbitration money or better.

I know there’s a part of us all that believes Steve Cohen will spend wildly this offseason. It may be true, but we also have to be realistic. Major League Baseball and the other owners are going to do something if the competitive balance shifts to such an extreme.

Cohen also didn’t get wealthy by paying taxes which baseball requires teams do when going to a certain threshold. Let’s wait and see how much stupid money he is willing to spend.

The money factor isn’t nearly as big under Cohen as it would be under the Wilpons. Still, it exists. Every team needs a budget. Peterson’s low salary should help keep it in check.

Having Peterson around will allow the Mets to overspend on other positions of need through free agency or some overdue extensions. It’s a cause and effect the franchise hasn’t been able to do for a few years because of how poorly many of their rookie starters have performed.

The Mets won’t need to shell out $10 million to land a pitcher like Rick Porcello this winter. There will be little need to pay a couple million to a player like Michael Wacha to complete their rotation.

Instead, with Peterson around and hopefully pitching well, the club can pay for one really good starter. I hear Trevor Bauer is available.