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

The Mets need fewer new pitchers this winter

By my count, the Mets starting rotation in 2021 should include Jacob deGrom, Seth Lugo, Noah Syndergaard, David Peterson, and one other currently open spot. Imagine if Peterson hadn’t made the jump to the big leagues this year. We’d be looking at an image of the club’s future rotation with deGrom standing there all alone while Syndergaard hopes his arm is fully healed and Lugo prays he doesn’t go back to the bullpen.

Things would have been much worse with Peterson around. Fortunately, he looks like he’s here to stay.

Because of Peterson, the Mets may only need to add one starter this winter. I think they’d be wiser to add one big-name pitcher and secure a second quality arm even if it means moving Lugo back into a relief role.

The Mets’ approach toward free agent pitchers has not been good in recent years. Rick Porcello, Michael Wacha, and Jason Vargas all give me nightmares. I don’t care who the general manager or owner is. It’s tough to build a rotation in one offseason.

While Peterson hasn’t securely fastened himself in as a starter for the Mets, I think it’s pretty safe that the team will look at him as one of their most important players heading into next year. They can safely move on from Steven Matz working as a starter—whether he’s with the team or not.

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Poor starting pitching was one of the biggest downfalls of the year for the 2020 Mets. Peterson was one of the bright spots. Having him around should help the club make some wiser choices this winter in planning how to correct this weakness.