An out-of-left field NY Mets trade chip the team could use to improve the rotation

This New York Mets rotation is going to be the talk of the offseason, won’t it? A bunch of projects with surer things ignored, David Stearns has given us reason to doubt him all over again. We know better than to lose any sleep over what has been assembled thus far. A few expletives, however, are in order.

Frankie Montas, Clay Holmes, and now Griffin Canning have been added to a rotation that already had its question marks. The health of Kodai Senga. The averageness at best of Paul Blackburn. Even the presence of David Peterson coming off of a career-year with many metrics suggesting he was more lucky than good raises some alarm bells.

Are those the six the Mets are truly about to go into the 2025 season with? Well, perhaps an out-of-left-field trade candidate among them could be one way to improve the shaky rotation.

What if the Mets sold high on David Peterson and swapped him in a package for a better starting pitcher?

I’m not saying the Mets should trade Peterson. I’m merely suggesting they discuss it with other teams. Peterson is coming off of a good year albeit one where every fifth day seemed to include a much-needed double play with the bases loaded.

His 10-3 record and 2.90 ERA are a bit deceptive. A 3.67 FIP is more in line with what he actually looked like although the 1.28 WHIP reminds us of how clogged the bases often were with him on the mound.

Peterson improved his walk rate, dropping it to a career-best 3.4 per 9 last season. Unfortunately, strikeouts fell, too. At just 7.5 per 9, he had to rely on his defense to bail him out. The previous two seasons he was over 10 strikeouts per 9 albeit some of it came as a reliever both years.

The value of keeping Peterson is clear. Maybe he has finally arrived. Plus, with a remaining minor league option, there’s some added roster flexibility. He’s not costly with only his second year of arbitration eligibility coming in 2025. Controlled through 2026, other teams should view him favorably enough in a trade market where starters are being held hostage.

The kind of trade the Mets should consider with Peterson would be to package him with a prospect for a better starting pitcher who either 1) has one year left of team control or 2) has a salary the team is hoping to get rid of. This would be a swap with a contender who’d need to replace their dearly departed starting pitcher who’d end up with the Mets. 

Peterson had such great results in 2024 that the idea of trading him isn’t something many fans would consider. Seeing as many of the offseason trades this winter have included MLB players rather than prospects, it might be the only way the Mets can improve their rotation if they’re not touching free agency further. It would help to explain some of the starting pitcher choices they’ve already made.

There’s a better chance of catching mommy kissing the real Santa Claus next week than for a trade like this to happen. Everything Stearns has done suggests depth weighs more heavily than talent when it comes to starting pitching. A valid way of looking at things, you can’t ignore the aspect of talent either.