Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- A former All-Star for the New York Mets has seen his performance plummet over the past year, raising questions about his future with the team.
- Despite a successful stint as a bulk reliever, his struggles as a starter have become untenable for a team already battling at the bottom of the standings.
- With in-house replacements and no long-term contractual ties, the front office faces a decision that could define its aggressiveness in a tough season.
Not too long ago, David Peterson was an instrumental piece of the New York Mets' operation. He was a key contributor for the team down the stretch and in the postseason in 2024, and pitched his way into an All-Star appearance in 2025. Since making that Midsummer Classic, though, it's been all downhill.
The lefty struggled mightily down the stretch last season, and he's been just as bad, if not worse, so far this year. The southpaw has a 5.57 ERA through 12 appearances (seven starts) in 2026, and he's been even worse as a starter (7.56 ERA in seven appearances). He allowed six runs on 11 hits in five innings his last time out against a light-hitting Reds team. He's struggling to the point where the reeling Mets must make a change.
David Peterson has not been a viable MLB starter for almost a full year
Peterson is a starting pitcher, but you wouldn't know that based on how he's performed in that role lately. The southpaw has gone from an All-Star starter to one who has lost his chance to start on one of MLB's worst teams right now.
Peterson had a 6.34 ERA in the second half of 2025 and has been even worse in that role this season. Since last season's All-Star break, Peterson's 6.77 ERA in 19 starts is the worst of any of the 95 starting pitchers to throw at least 90 innings. That is a problem.
If Peterson can't be a viable starter, is it worth holding onto him?
Why David Peterson's long relief success shouldn't mean much
To be fair, Peterson has been much better as a bulk reliever than as a starter. This season, he has allowed a total of eight runs (five earned) in 20 innings of work across five appearances out of the bullpen, pitching to a 2.25 ERA in that role. Most impressively, while he's issued 19 walks in 33.1 innings as a starter, he has just four walk in 20 innings as a reliever. He's looked like a different pitcher.
As impressive as he's been, though, should Mets fans care? I mean, New York already has a viable long reliever, Tobias Myers, in their bullpen. Jonah Tong has been deployed in a bulk role as well. Sean Manaea has not been good overall, but he's pitched much better than Peterson lately.
All of which is to say that the Mets have other options to turn to, and that list doesn't even include Kodai Senga, a starter on his way back from injury, as well as prospects Zach Thornton and Jack Wenninger currently in Triple-A. David Stearns should not be attached to Peterson.
David Peterson's contract makes him easy to move on from
As bad as guys like Manaea and Senga have been, they're both under contract through 2027 at pretty hefty salaries, so it makes sense for the Mets to want to hold onto them and try to make things work. Peterson is not in that situation, though.
The lefty is making $8.1 million this season in his final year of club control. Sure, it's a lot of money to eat, but it's not like the Mets have any obligation to pay Peterson beyond this year. If they're unable to find a trade partner, they can simply DFA him.
New York has a lot of issues, and I'd argue Peterson is not among the top two or three of them. He is still an issue, though, and the Mets have ways to get rid of said issue, as his contract is not an impediment and they have several in-house replacements. It's time for David Stearns to be proactive and pull the plug before things get even worse.
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