Dating back to Opening Day 2024, the Mets have used 16 different starting pitchers. In today's MLB, that's not really an alarming number. It's right around the median. Clubs like the Dodgers and Brewers lead the pack with 24 starters apiece, while teams with steadier rotations like the Mariners and Twins clock in at only 11 starters each since last year. The Yankees, even after a couple significant injuries in the rotation, have used only 10 -- the fewest in baseball.
The Mets' usage of 16 starters in and of itself isn't remarkable, but it's probably fair to say it also wasn't exactly the plan. Two years ago -- an eternity in the world of Major League Baseball rosters -- they were still dreaming big on future Hall of Famers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander forming an elite trio with then-newcomer Kodai Senga. When that didn't go according to plan, the Mets blew things up at the 2023 trade deadline and treated 2024 as something of a bridge year.
The subsequent offseason was punctuated by short-term acquisitions to patch over the rotation. In came Luis Severino, Sean Manaea and Adrian Houser -- the first two via free agency and the latter via trade. With Senga and Jose Quintana still on the roster from the year prior, the starting five looked largely set, at least on paper.
As is often the case with pitching staffs, injuries derailed those plans. Senga made one start in 2024. Houser made six before being banished to the bullpen. The Mets picked up Paul Blackburn at last year's deadline, and he made all of five starts before incurring a season-ending injury. Top prospect Christian Scott debuted and looked like he could help to smooth things over ... until he required season-ending Tommy John surgery after just nine starts.
There have been similar hiccups in 2025. Offseason signing Frankie Montas has yet to pitch due to a lat strain. Manaea, who opted out of his previous contract but returned on a heftier three-year deal worth $75MM, has been out all season due to an oblique strain. Scott is still on the mend from that UCL replacement. Blackburn hasn't pitched this season due to a separate knee injury.
But for the past calendar year, the Mets have quietly relied on a homegrown arm to stabilize the staff -- and he's stepped up and thrived as one of the most productive starting pitchers in the sport.
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It’s David Peterson.
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Based on tonight’s performance, I’d say that they’re right
Masterful!
Extension candidate at the end of the season. LH SPs are rare.
Lmfao ya’ll really think this writing is worth paying for?
I’d say this article is worth paying for more than it is to be a Blue Jays fan at the moment, stu18germanator…
LMFAO at mommy’s couch boys on the thread.
lmfao you use “y’all” as a word
This is what I’ve been saying. It’s not Fangraphs. I pay for this site to support it, but I don’t want these articles. You can read better coverage on Peterson for free from any Mets blog.
If it’s such “trash writing,” why are you bothering to read it or even visit this site?
dude, it’s $3 a month. Absolute bargain. easily my favorite site by a long shot. Get a grip
Quite right, it’s the best overall baseball website around. Hard to respect someone who would call it “trash writing”. More “advanced statistics” than I like, but still good writing. Perhaps phillyphan 81 is buddies with all the people who posted after NY Post articles in past years that Peterson was crap and should be traded for the famous ‘bag of balls”.
Bunch of cheapskate losers commenting. This is a great article and this site is well worth the money.
Absolutely. The $3 per month breaks these loozers.
Devenski up, Waddell down. Too long anouting for Waddell, another pending mop-up shot for Devenski.
Movement around the fringes of the pitching staff. Just no story on it yet.
Blackburn’s excellent June 2 start against the Dodgers probably adds another multi-inning arm to a tired pen.
I’m not thrilled with how teams are incentivized to pitch guys like Brazoban and Max Kranick into oblivion—keeping them on pace through the first 60 games for 95 innings and 70 appearances, and 90 innings and 70 appearances, respectively—then in this case restocking with fresher arms at the Deadline as they burn out those two.
It’s crass.
It’s baseball 2025
Not sure why I’m paying for something that reads like it’s trying to be Fangraphs, which is a free site. This is so player-friendly and it feels like it’s a plant from Peterson’s agent to drive up his earning power in arb this offseason, or to get him an extension.