The Mets announced this morning that left-hander David Peterson underwent surgery to repair the labrum in his left hip today. The expected recovery timeline for the procedure is six to seven months, which means Peterson is all but certain to open the season on the injured list. A six-month timeline would put him on track for an early May recovery, whereas a seven-month trajectory could push into the summer.
Peterson, 28, had an uneven season in 2023 after what had looked to be a breakout showing the prior year. His 2022 campaign featured 105 2/3 innings of 3.83 ERA ball, as the former first-round pick enjoyed career-best marks in average fastball velocity, strikeout rate and ground-ball rate. He induced grounders at an even higher clip in 2023, but just about every other meaningful rate stat trended in the wrong direction. Peterson finished out the year with a 5.03 ERA, 26% strikeout rate, 10.2% walk rate and 54.5% grounder rate in 111 frames.
That said, Peterson also enjoyed an excellent second half to the year. A three-week move to the bullpen in mid-July/early August produced 11 innings of 1.64 ERA ball, and when injuries thrust him back into the starting rotation, Peterson looked like a new pitcher. He’d been hammered for a 6.46 ERA through 11 starts to begin the season but closed out the year with a 10-start stretch of a 3.88 ERA, 28.2% strikeout rate and 11.7% walk rate — numbers that much more closely mirrored his solid ’22 efforts. Command obviously remained an issue for Peterson, but it was a promising end to the season that looked to set him up for another possible look in next year’s rotation.
Any such plans will now be placed on hold as he mends from today’s operation. It’s a notable blow to a thin Mets pitching staff that traded future Hall of Famers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander at this past summer’s trade deadline. With Peterson shelved, the Mets’ only established options in the rotation are veteran Jose Quintana and righty Kodai Senga, who turned in an outstanding rookie effort this past season. Depth options beyond that pair include Tylor Megill, Jose Butto and Joey Lucchesi, but the Mets are clearly lacking in the rotation.
First-year president of baseball operations David Stearns was already likely to place a heavy emphasis on acquiring rotation help this winter. The loss of Peterson for at least a month or two early next year only adds to that need. Pursuing multiple arms — likely at least one who could slot into the top half of the rotation already seemed likely — but there will be an increased need for depth and back-of-the-rotation options now that Peterson is recovering from a notable surgical procedure.
While Peterson’s injury clouds his 2024 outlook, it still seems likely that he’ll be tendered a contract for the upcoming campaign. He’s entering his first arbitration year, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting a modest $2MM salary in his first trip through the arb process. Given his remaining three years of club control and remaining minor league option, that’s plenty affordable — particularly for the game’s most deep-pocketed club.
Tom Price
Guess that’s why he stunk last year
rct
He stunk in the first half. Second half he was fine. So I’m not sure the injury played a major role.
Huck 3
Right, it might not have, or else he learned how to compensate for it.
LFGMets (Metsin7) #InEpplerIsGone!!!!
Peterson’s problem is that some days he wakes up out of bed and can’t find the strikezone. He will walk like 6 batters in one start and the next start he will go 7 innings 1 run allowed. He needs to be more consistent. I think he can still be a good 4th/5th starter in this league. Hes shown flashes of brilliance. Just needs to put it all together now
Pads Fans
There goes another Mets starter for early 2024. Thinking that they are either going to have to dip into that farm system to make a trade for at least one or they are going to have to sign some in FA or both.
Ma4170
On the Mets site I had proposed trading a young upside guy for another team’s upside sp, and feel like seattle is a good fit. I had proposed mauricio for woo, but people had mixed feelings. Met fans seem to love mauricio.
toycannon
Woo is more valuable than that. M’s should package him and a prospect for India.
Ma4170
Well you could always throw in another upside prospect, but is he really more valuable than that? I’m not so sure thats a universal take. Mauricio has consistently been rated the better prospect last couple of years. Its not like either’s debut changed that perception much, though woo obviously was up longer.
thecrown24
@Ma4170 He might have very well experienced racism and hate towards him I do not know that personally, nor could I ever relate to that. What I do know is he lived in a fantastic neighborhood, same are and school district that I attended Patchogue Medford. He has a great father who is awesome and well respected and earned a very healthy salary. He then would go on Twitter claiming he grew up like someone in the projects when in fact the kid was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He Also went pretty hard on Twitter bashing former high school teammates saying and I quote “That’s why you’re nothing but a Mail Man, and deliver mail” he is a great pitcher but the biggest problem he has is not knowing when to shut his big mouth and stop portraying on social media that you came from nothing to make something for yourself. It’s just a horrible look and quite a few of his own hometown people can’t stand him for that and know the truth.
Ma4170
Had no idea about any of that, sounds like trouble
thanks for sharing
RunDMC
It feels like more of a reason to court Stroman (again) — unless there’s burned bridges I’m not aware of. He has a decent floor and ceiling for depth, with history with the club. They still should be in heavy on Yamamoto.
Sourhaze
There are a lot of burn bridges between stroman and the mets. While I do believe stroman, as a person of color, has endured and experienced racism, he literally said the mets didn’t sign him because he was black implying the mets were racist. I mean if you know the mets roster they aren’t def racist. My mets are a mess but stroman was completely incorrect. He never stays on a team for long. He wants extensions and teams won’t. Speaks volumes
I like stroman as a pitcher and I believe he has experiences true racism, but that was uncalled for and you can’t go accusing teams of that because they didn’t extend you.
LFGMets (Metsin7) #InEpplerIsGone!!!!
@Sourhaze Stroman’s problem is that he has a “little-mans complex” were hes the shortest guy in the room with the biggest mouth. He craves attention whether its good or bad. After every win he’d put on a WWE belt and act all macho, no other player in the MLB does that. He purposely starts fights with fans online and then plays the victim to twist the situation around. No true Mets fan wants him back, hes overstayed his welcome
Robrock30
No to Stroman as he blocked me on twitter.
Not sure what his problem is I never said a bad word about him.
Flanster
@LFG. Finally—something I agree with you about
Blue Baron
@LFGMets: Don’t presume to speak for anyone but yourself.
I would be fine with having him back if he and the Mets deem it a fit.
carlos15
Stroman’s an idiot.
itsallbravesnation
I like Stroman, I think his passion and confidence is misunderstood, and he would help the Mets. But he’s going to have a tough time with the fan base who give personalities like him a short leash.
Sourhaze
How is he misunderstood?
If he hadn’t make those specific comments about the mets brass being racists, I’d be on his side and I’d understand him, but he had to trash the team on his departure and accuse them of some serious stuff that isn’t true.
Hurricane Sandy
I actually had no issues with Stroman. He was a really solid starter for us and is a perfect mid-rotation type arm. But the fact that the Mets had zero interest in bringing him back and he can’t seem to stick anywhere, plus all the unnecessary comments and sensitivity on social media makes me tepid at best to bring him back. But really when you evaluate the Mets needs in the rotation, he fits perfectly.
Blue Baron
@Hurricane Sandy: Like many players, he sticks wherever he plays for the duration of his contract.
That’s all he is obliged to do.
Blue Baron
@itsallbravesnation: Crap. Any fan base roots for its players to do well and cheers when they do and contribute to winning.
marcfrombrooklyn
I’ve seen articles about how Stroman was unhappy with the team, particularly for hiring Eppler as well as he was treated by the team when he became a free agent. I don’t know if hiring Stearns and unexpectedly having to part ways with Eppler changes Stroman’s view of the team.. One article I read talks about how the team
under new GM Eppler was more interested in moving on from him than re-signing him.. One quote was “I’m beyond thankful I’m gone from that organization. God got me!” So, I am not optimistic he’d consider a reunion.
SonnySteele
If 2024 is a typical Mets season, Peterson’s return will be looked forward to because two starters will go down in April and May.
Blue Baron
That’s typical for any team.
geofft
This article grossly overstates Peterson’s role with the Mets and the “impact” of his loss. At best, he was going to be one of four pitchers competing for that 5th starter role. And that is if the Mets bring in just two starters rather than three as has been mentioned by many including David Stearns.
JackStrawb
@geofft Agreed. Peterson as a major league pitcher is an absurdity. He gets hammered the third time through, but might have thrived in a long relief role. Or might have been at least competent.
How is people who talk him up always seem entirely unaware Peterson’s minor league career was distinctly less than mediocre, and he was only brought to the majors by a desperate, flailing 2020 Mets team?
Robrock30
Mets doctors what could go wrong? lol
Flanster
There’s always something!!
mostlytoasty
Peterson had a 3.59 xFIP this year and a 3.96 SIERA. Both are more indicative of future results for pitchers (SIERA statistically better). While I expect the Mets to bring in a couple of arms, possibly even Yamamoto or Imanaga, I do think Peterson had a pretty decent shot to solidify himself as a decent mid-rotation arm in 2024.
Could still happen, but this is definitely a setback. The ERA was ugly this year, but the under the hood metrics were promising, especially towards the end of the year.
angt222
What little SP depth the Mets had takes a hit and sucks worse that he’s a LHP.
JackStrawb
Sweet jesus, the annual “David Peterson May Have Finally Figured it Out!” nonsense from the ‘we need narratives!’ sports press.
Peterson’s 2023 season only appears tolerable if you ignore how lucky he was on fly balls. It’s with good reason his last six starts prior to seven innings of shutout ball against a limping Marlines squad, summed to an ERA of 5.17.
Can Peterson be useful in long relief, with a better teacher? Sure, probably, he might be good for a 4.00 ERA over the season without the benefit of luck he got in 2022 and 2020, and the Mets will be in desperate need of guys who are passable once or twice through a lineup. If they use Megill as well in this role a barebones contender aiming for 85 wins can absolutely use a couple of pitchers who can piggyback or go as much as three innings, particularly with a pen as thin as the 2024 Mets’ pen is sure to be.
If the Stearns Mets can’t figure out Peterson is not and never was a starting pitcher, then they’re probably doomed to failure given all the other problems the team is contending with. From the absurd article you almost wouldn’t know that it was in fact David Peterson who put up an ERA of 5.03 with a WHIP of 1.568 in 2023, or who was never successful in the minors above A ball, when after a failed season in AA the Mets brought him (as they did with Megill) at least a year too early to the majors.
It would also be interesting, too, to see the Mets send Petey back to AAA for at least a year to see if he can finally figure it out in the absence of pressure he clearly cannot thrive in. Send Megill with him while you’re at it—yet another Mets pitcher with no track record of success in the upper minors before being thrown into the breach, and failing.
JackStrawb
Btw, the AP notes that why Peterson waited more than a month after his season ended to get the surgery… remains a mystery.
One more for the LOLMets box.