5 NY Mets players entering a crucial season in their careers and what they need to do

3) David Peterson 

I’m not so convinced David Peterson will be on the 2026 Mets roster. He’s affordable and with the way he fell off late, he’s as much a trade candidate as Kodai Senga. Teams who trade for Senga should have to pay a reasonable amount. With Peterson, as a rental, the price tag doesn’t seem so extraordinary.

It’s that approximately 120 inning mark Peterson needs to overcome. Upon reaching it last season, we saw him trend downward. Senga had the far more disappointing finish to the season. Peterson’s downfall was equally as costly in a season where he was named an All-Star for the first time in his career.

In his final year before free agency, it’s crucial for Peterson to show he is a starting pitcher in the major leagues. He was terrific in 2024 but also didn’t log a whole lot of innings because of the injury that kept him out for the first few weeks. Cut him off at 120 innings and he feels like a really solid member of the rotation. You can’t do that in the majors, though.

Whether in Queens or elsewhere, Peterson needs to prove to everyone he isn’t just a guy floundering around as a limited big league starter. He’ll surely stay in the majors in some capacity, but if he struggles to last a full season he might be thought of as more of a swingman with plans of throwing in relief at some point throughout the year.