Why 2026 is a Pivotal Season for David Peterson

It was a tale of two seasons last year for New York Mets starting pitcher David Peterson.

After a career year in 2024, Peterson initially looked like he would take a huge leap in 2025 and perhaps cement himself as the ace of the Mets' starting rotation. In the first half of the 2025 campaign, the lefty logged a 6-4 record with a 3.06 ERA and 93 strikeouts across 18 starts; this included his first career shutout against the Washington Nationals on June 11. This strong performance also earned Peterson his first career selection to the All-Star Game.

Throughout the first half of the season, Peterson proved to be a consistent workhorse and the most reliable arm of New York's starting staff. But once the second half of the season began and the Mets' starting pitchers struggled, so did Peterson.

The 31-year-old collapsed during the stretch run by posting an 8.42 ERA over his last nine starts, including a dismal 12.54 ERA during his final five outings of the season. Peterson's struggles led the Mets to avoid starting him in any of the final three games of the regular season. Peterson finished 2025 with a 9-6 record and a 4.22 ERA, while setting new career-highs of 151 strikeouts and 168.2 innings pitched.

Now, as Peterson is slated to appear in his first spring training game on Wednesday against Team Israel, 2026 is poised to be a pivotal one for the longest-tenured Met.

David Peterson is entering a make-or-break season for the Mets in 2026

If there is one thing that the Mets have entering this season that they lacked for the better part of last season, it is an abundance of riches in their starting pitching department.

Carlos Mendoza catches up with David Peterson pic.twitter.com/IyBqcHdfmE
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) February 9, 2026

The acquisition of Freddy Peralta from the Milwaukee Brewers this offseason will hopefully provide a lethal one-two-punch at the top of the Mets' rotation, along with rookie phenom Nolan McLean. New York also acquired Tobias Myers in the Peralta trade, who has proven throughout his three years in the major leagues that he can be both a solid long relief arm and a reliable back-end starter.

Myers has certainly been sharp this spring, as he struck out four batters over three innings while allowing one earned run on four hits and one walk during his most recent outing against the Nationals on Saturday.

Tobias Myers has been AWESOME for the Mets.

Would love to see him eventually find a spot in the rotation 👀
pic.twitter.com/rlUu0m5n0q
— SleeperMets (@SleeperMets) February 28, 2026

New York is also hoping that both Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga can bounce back after injuries and struggles derailed their seasons. Manaea and Senga have proven, however, that when they're healthy, they can be really effective. Manaea became the Mets' ace throughout the 2024 season and during their playoff run, and Senga pitched at an All-Star caliber level last season before suffering a hamstring injury in June.

The Mets additionally have a pair of young starters in Jonah Tong and Christian Scott. While both are expected to begin the season with Triple-A Syracuse, they will surely see some time in the big leagues this season after showing brief but promising stuff.

If there was one thing to pinpoint the Mets' downfall last season, it was their starting pitching, with Peterson a prime factor in that collapse. The Mets can't afford to see their rotation fail to go deep into games again, as relying on their young arms the way they did last year is not a viable strategy for their development.

With David Peterson having proven throughout his career that he lacks consistency over the course of a full season, it would not be a surprise that his days in the Mets' rotation are numbered if he can't bounce back in 2026.

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