Who replaces Carlos Carrasco, Taijuan Walker if one is not ready for Opening Day?

David Peterson is the second-best option to start for the Mets

David Peterson was the 2020 version of Megill. A member of the rotation for a good portion of the 2021 season, an injury knocked him out for the rest of the season. Only because he’ll need to prove his own health does it not make much sense for the Mets to turn to him first in their time of need.

Now 116.1 innings into his big league career, Peterson is 8-8 with a 4.64 ERA. It’s tough to judge what he can be. The 3.44 ERA is more than two runs lower than the 5.54 he has last year. So which is it? Are you a viable big league starter or someone who gets games only out of need?

Peterson may have a tough time getting chances to prove himself all over again. Already bumped from the expected starting five, he has Megill to compete with. It’s not something entirely new for him nor is the position he’s in right now. Like many rookies, he first made the Mets roster in 2020 because the team was short on arms due to an injury then opt-out from Marcus Stroman.

All things equal, I think both management and fans would prefer to see Megill get the nod over Peterson. That’s not to say things could change quickly based on performance. They’re close to equal.

With the possibility of the Mets needing to replace two starters immediately, perhaps there's no competition for the Opening Day roster. And how they perform at the big league level during any period of time could shift how the front office feels when the need arises again.

Jordan Yamamoto and the field of possible Mets starting pitchers

Jordan Yamamoto would lead the charge from the rest of the field to get some starts. Trevor Williams, the team’s expected long man out of the bullpen, could be considered an option but it’s probably better to not go there unless needed.

The Mets have enough arms with big league experience, a spot on the 40-man roster, and option years left for them to not use Williams for a limited time. What happens when the next game they need him for a lot more?

Along with Yamamoto, Sean Reid-Foley and Yennsy Diaz are two options. The Mets seemed to prefer using those two as relievers last season so for either to even get a chance to start in the big leagues or Triple-A seems slim.

Waiting on the IL, the Mets have Joey Lucchesi and Thomas Szapucki. I’m only noting them for future considerations. Neither would get a spot on the Mets Opening Day roster. Both will need to rehab first.

Given the choices, Yamamoto appears to be third in line or maybe even ahead of Peterson. Both suffered injuries last year and we have to question the health of both.

The Mets can survive missing Carrasco and Walker for some time. However, trouble begins to brew once another arm goes down—an issue for all major league teams when their depth starts to grow shallow.