Thinking about short-term alternatives to David Peterson
Plus, the Mets lose a tough one and a first glimpse at just how big an impact J.D. Martinez could make in his new role
What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets saw their four-game win streak snapped after losing 7-2 to the Diamondbacks on Wednesday afternoon at Citi Field (box)
LHP David Peterson struggled early, allowing five earned runs over the first two innings. He did settle down eventually, retiring 11 of his last 12 batters and finishing with six strikeouts across five innings
LHP Sean Manaea saved the bullpen again, allowing two earned runs on five hits and two walks while striking out two over four innings of relief
The Mets’ bats went ice cold and were held without a hit until the fourth inning - New York managed just eight hits and one walk all game
3B Bo Bichette, CF Luis Robert Jr., and RF Brett Baty were the only Mets with multi-hit games, while Baty and 1B Mark Vientos drove in the only runs of the game
LF Carson Benge hit a single in the ninth inning to snap an 0-for-24 skid at the plate
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza confirmed that the Mets will stick with a five-man rotation, leaving Sean Manaea in the bullpen
Play of the Game ⭐️
After struggling and facing a lot of traffic early, the dam finally burst open for David Peterson in the second inning. With the bases loaded, Peterson gave up an RBI double to Corbin Carroll that plated two and made it a 4-0 game in favor of Arizona. With the Mets struggling to get anything going offensively, Carroll’s hit effectively ended the game there and then.
The Just Mets Podcast 🎙️
On the latest edition of The Just Mets Podcast, Andrew and Rich recap a 4-3 road trip against the Cardinals/Giants, Juan Soto headed to the IL, and Mark Vientos’ sudden resurgence.
SUBSCRIBE: YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Who’s Hot? 🥵
Over his last six games, 3B Bo Bichette is hitting .333/.357/.407/.765 with nine hits, two doubles, four runs scored, and three RBIs
Over his last five games, CF Luis Robert Jr. is slashing .353/.500/.353/.853 with six hits, four runs scored, two stolen bases, and five walks
Over his last six games, INF Mark Vientos is hitting .364/.400/.545/.945 with five runs scored and five RBIs
Over his last four games, INF Brett Baty is slashing .353/.333/.529/.863 with three runs scored and three RBIs
Who’s Cold? 🥶
LHP David Peterson owns an ugly 9.64 ERA over his last two starts - allowing a total of 10 earned runs over that span
RF Carson Benge is hitting just .056/.190/.056/.246 with no extra-base hits over his last five games
Down on the Farm 🌾
RHP Jack Wenninger (No. 6 prospect, Triple-A): 4.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
RHP Jonah Tong (No. 2 prospect, Triple-A): 5 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 1 HR
LF MJ Melendez (Triple-A): 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 2B
LHP Jonathan Santucci (No. 9 prospect, Double-A): 4 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 8 K, 1 HR
2B Wyatt Young (Double-A): 2-for-3, 2 R, 6 RBI, 1 BB, 1 2B, 1 HR
CF A.J. Ewing (No. 3 prospect, Double-A): 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 SB
LHP Zach Thornton (No. 14 prospect, Double-A): 5.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
BOX SCORES
Single-A STL (PPD) | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG (GM 1 | GM 2) | Triple-A SYR (GM 1 | GM 2)
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (7-5) vs. Diamondbacks (6-6)
Where: Citi Field - Flushing, NY
Starters: RHP Nolan McLean (1-0, 2.61 ERA) vs. LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
When: 7:10 PM EDT
Where to Watch: SNY | MLB Network
How long can the Mets go with David Peterson? And, thoughts on J.D. Martinez ✍️
Wednesday proved to be just one of those games for the New York Mets.
Bad starting pitching early led to a mountain to climb, which was never possible because of an offense that struggled to get anything going.
There were also a couple more mistakes out in the field.
Again, it was the type of ugly game that just needs flushing as fast as humanely possible.
And it was a game that David Peterson will also want to forget as soon as he can.
The lefty was pummeled over the first two innings and, while he did recover to last five innings, the damage was already done at that point. Now, it is still early in the season and Peterson will continue to get a chance to put things right with the Mets sticking with a five-man rotation for now.
However, should the leash on Peterson really be that long?
After all, if you factor in the second half of the 2025 season and combine that with this year’s struggles, then that makes for a large and concerning sample size. He finished last season with an 8.42 ERA over his final nine starts, while he’s pitching to a 6.14 ERA over his first three starts this season.
The eye test also paints a pretty damming picture, with the lefty leaving pitches up and over the plate. Hitters are getting a lot of hard contact against Peterson, and pitch execution and location continue to be a real problem.
Now, there is an argument to be made for allowing Peterson to work things out and get back to the All-Star level pitcher he was for the first half of last year. With that said, you can also make a compelling argument that the Mets really don’t have the luxury of time. With the Braves and the Marlins both off to hot starts, this team can’t afford to just throw games away, especially when you remember that they missed out on the postseason by one measly game last year. So, with that in mind, giving Peterson an extra long leash if he continues to struggle just doesn’t seem like a smart idea.
Of course, the caveat here is that there are no clear options to replace Peterson in the rotation at the major league level.
Sean Manaea continues to be efficient out of the bullpen, but he’s hardly been dominant, and his velocity is still averaging less than 90 mph. Christian Scott and Jonah Tong would be next in line, but both have hardly set the world alight in the minors to begin the year, although Tong was better on Wednesday night.
The obvious short-term answer could be moving Tobias Myers into the rotation, with the righty flashing filthy stuff to start the year. Myers also has a high upside and could thrive in a role at the backend of the rotation. However, given how dominant he’s been out of the bullpen, I’m sure the Mets would be reluctant to rob Peter just to pay Paul. But if Peterson continues to struggle, then the Mets may have no choice but to move Myers into the bullpen.
At the end of the day, it is on Peterson to figure things out on the fly and finally put everything together. But if he can’t, then I don’t think the Mets should risk chucking away any more games by just hoping it will eventually click. Hope isn’t a strategy, and you don’t want games like Wednesday’s to prove costly come the end of the season.
Okay, let’s switch to a quick positive before we finish.
J.D. Martinez spoke to the media on Wednesday after being named a special advisor to baseball operations last week. He had plenty of interesting things to say, including that he will only attend home games but will be in constant contact with both the players and the front office.
Martinez also spoke about the importance of leadership, recounting how he was treated poorly as a rookie by some of the veteran players on the Astros. Furthermore, he stated that this year’s team is more talented than the 2024 Mets team he played on, while also reserving special praise for Mark Vientos, calling the infielder an “unbelievable player.”
Now, it is that last quote that carries a lot of significance in my mind.
We all know that Martinez mentored Vientos throughout that 2024 season, and their bond has been clear for all to see upon Martinez’s return to the organization. Vientos has also looked like a different player as of late.
Coincidence?
But I think the Mets bringing back a former player of Martinez’s stature is just a really smart move. He’s highly respected, his baseball IQ is off the charts, and he’s a hitting savant. All of those qualities and intangibles are incredibly important to have in the building, and it was clear from listening to him speak that Martinez has a huge passion for the game and for helping young players.
If he can be a valuable resource for the likes of Vientos and Carson Benge to lean on during homestands, then that is only going to benefit the Mets in the long run. I mean, if Martinez can have a similar impact on Benge to the one he’s had on Vientos, then maybe the early season struggles we are seeing out of the rookie now will be a thing of the past by the time we get to June or July.
All in all, this was a no-brainer of a move by the Mets. Martinez’s presence alone in the clubhouse and in the batting cages could prove to be instrumental and, maybe, just maybe, he could prove to be this team’s lucky charm and secret weapon.
Around the League 🚩
The Pirates signed shortstop Konnor Griffin to a nine-year, $140 million contract, the largest deal in franchise history
Dodgers great Davey Lopes, who stole 557 bases in his career, sadly passed away on Wednesday at age 80
The Orioles announced that RHP Zach Eflin underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery on Wednesday
RHP Dylan Cease struckout eight to help the injury-ravaged Blue Jays beat the Dodgers, 4-3
LF Taylor Ward had four hits and two RBIs as the Orioles beat the White Sox, 5-3 to complete the series sweep
Manaea is improving. He seems to be able to give you 3-4 credible innings. Toss in an opener or maybe Myers, and you have a start. I would wait, though, and see if Peterson can snap out of it. He seems to be able to get into a groove after the barn door is open, and he gave up a lot of runs. He is not totally useless in that respect. So, I hope it is a mechanical issue he can fix.
It’s a tough decision what to do with Peterson. We can’t have a BP with him and Manaea. Manaea doesn’t look like a rotation option. One of them needs to go on the IL. I’d give Peterson 1 more start and then something needs to be done if he looks like this again.