3 Mets players who will be fighting for an Opening Day roster spot

The New York Mets finished 2021 with a disappointing 77-85 record. They missed the playoffs for a fifth consecutive season after spending most of the season in first place. Injuries and underperforming players were the main causes of that.

This offseason, the Mets have been aggressive on the open market and are showing the rest of the league that they want to compete. They signed Mark Canha, Starling Marte, and Eduardo Escobar to help bolster a lineup that finished towards the bottom in runs scored. They then added Max Scherzer to help bolster a rotation that already has the best pitcher on the planet in Jacob deGrom.

The Mets are an improved ballclub but the roster is not complete yet. Once the lockout ends, the Mets will make moves to improve on this roster. That means that guys who might have made the team if the season started tomorrow might have a different fate.

1. Mets starting pitcher David Peterson

The biggest surprise of the 2020 season was the emergence of left hander David Peterson. When Marcus Stroman tore his calf muscle and later on opted out of the season, Peterson was the one who replaced him in the rotation, and he was the Mets second best starting pitcher that season.

He had a 3.44 ERA in his nine starts. He consistently kept the Mets in games as he only allowed more than three runs in one start. It seemed that whenever Peterson had to deal with baserunners, he was able to get out of jams.

With all of his success in the 2020 season, he had a guaranteed rotation spot in 2021. Unfortunately, things did not go as Peterson and the Mets would have hoped. The 26-year-old went 2-6 with a 5.54 ERA in 15 starts. He really struggled on the mound and then his season ended early after he suffered an oblique strain and later on fractured his foot.

Peterson has not shown the ability to limit walks in his two seasons thus far. He had a 4.3 BB/9 in 2020 and 3.9 BB/9 this season. That's his Achilles heel, even though he was able to be effective with the walk issues in 2020. In order for Peterson to win a rotation spot, he must improve on that.

Peterson's roster spot is very much in question right now. The Mets have four guaranteed starting pitchers on the roster in Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, Carlos Carrasco, and Taijuan Walker. The fifth starter job appears to be between Peterson and Tylor Megill for now, but I expect the Mets to sign a veteran who will take over that job.

Peterson does have the advantage of being a left handed pitcher as he might be useful in the bullpen. The Mets only other left handed arms are Joey Lucchesi and Thomas Szapucki who are either injured or just not ready to pitch in the bigs.

Peterson could be headed to the bullpen, but I'd expect the Mets acquire a lefty or two for the bullpen in free agency or via trade. This means Peterson would be sent down to the minor leagues, which is what I hope happens as the Mets could use rotation depth very badly with the injury histories in the current rotation. It also gives Peterson the opportunity to make improvements.

3. Mets starting pitcher Tylor Megill

The surprise of the 2021 season was the emergence of Tylor Megill. The eighth-round pick in the 2018 draft went from having just one career start at the AA level entering the 2021 campaign to making 18 starts for the Mets. This was due to the abundance of injuries the Mets had to deal with in the rotation, but Megill clearly showed that he had earned a shot.

Megill was awfully similar to David Peterson in regards to being forced onto the Major League team when he wasn't expected to be and producing at a high level. However, I believe Megill has a much higher ceiling and is a better pitcher than Peterson right now.

Megill went 4-6 with a 4.52 ERA in his 18 starts last season. He had a 2.7 BB/9 and a 9.9 K/9. He had very good stuff and solid control as well. Megill's big Achillies heel is the home run ball, as he allowed 1.9 HR/9, a number which is way too high. However, I believe with more experience that can be improved upon.

I believe Megill's 4.52 ERA doesn't replicate how well he pitched. When he first came up, he looked like a legitimate MLB pitcher. He had a 3.21 ERA in his first 11 starts. Those starts included a three-start span in which he allowed just one run in 17.1 innings pitched. Those starts included a start against the high-powered Blue Jays and the World Series-winning Braves. Megill had a 1.04 ERA in his five May starts.

I believe down the stretch Megill was exhausted. He had never thrown more than 71.2 innings in a season in his professional career. This past season he pitched 130 innings combining his eight Minor League starts and 18 Major League starts.

With a full season coming in 2022, I expect Megill to be able to withstand a larger workload better. However, I don't expect him to start in the majors. I expect the Mets to sign a veteran to take the fifth starter job, leaving Megill as an obvious candidate to go down to AAA. I believe he'll be more effective there than if he was in the bullpen and wasn't stretched out. There will still be opportunity for him to start games for the Mets sometime.

If the Mets for some reason don't sign another starter, I would hope they give Megill that fifth starter job, I just can't see that happening unfortunately.