Peterson's tough start highlights remaining need for Mets

NEW YORK -- At around 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, the back doors of the Mets’ clubhouse opened and in walked Jesse Winker, the Mets’ latest trade acquisition. Several Mets rushed over to greet him, including Pete Alonso, who long ago played on the amateur travel ball circuit with Winker. More than a decade later, Alonso was happy to reunite with him as a teammate.

Elsewhere in the room were Phil Maton and Ryne Stanek, two relievers the Mets acquired to patch holes in their bullpen. This is, without question, a more complete team than it was at the start of July, despite New York’s struggles in a 9-2 loss to the Braves at Citi Field. But it is not, in the estimation of club decisionmakers, a complete one. In the hours before their series finale against the Braves, Mets officials were actively engaging other clubs on starting pitching, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation.

David Peterson’s poor outing Sunday underscored that need, as the left-hander gave up four runs in the fourth inning of arguably his least effective start of the season. Peterson’s clunker came a day after Tylor Megill allowed four runs in a loss in his return to the rotation, which was necessitated by trips to the injured list for Christian Scott and Kodai Senga. Stanek also allowed three runs in his Mets debut and was booed at his new home ballpark.

Even so, when asked about Peterson, Megill and the back of his rotation, manager Carlos Mendoza replied: “I’m comfortable.”

“Because we’ve seen outings where they’re pretty good,” Mendoza continued. “We’ve seen flashes of that. The stuff is there. We’ve just got to keep working with them, because we’re going to need them.”

Where the Mets go from here won’t be clear until closer to Tuesday’s 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline. In recent days, the Mets have spoken to the White Sox about Erick Fedde, one of the best starters available on the market, according to a person with knowledge of the talks. They have also engaged other clubs about other starting pitchers, cognizant of the need in their rotation.

Right now, the Mets run five deep with Major League-caliber starting pitchers: Luis Severino, Sean Manaea, Jose Quintana, Megill and Peterson. Next up on the depth chart is probably Joey Lucchesi, whom the team recently designated for assignment but kept in the organization after he cleared waivers. Neither Lucchesi nor any other starter at Triple-A Syracuse has distinguished himself, and the Mets remain hesitant to stretch José Buttó back out as a starter.

With that as a backdrop, the question is how far will the 55-50 Mets go to give themselves the best possible shot at a playoff run? The front office did not relinquish heaps of value to acquire Winker, Stanek and Maton, trading away their 17th- and 30th-ranked prospects per MLB Pipeline in those transactions. Would they take on more risk in a deal for a starting pitcher? Would they do so for a lefty reliever, their other supposed remaining area of need? Or do they consider the recent emergence of waiver claim Alex Young (unscored upon in four appearances with the Mets) enough?

“Hopefully, we continue to add and keep continuing to play good baseball,” said Alonso, who hit a two-run homer Sunday to snap a 20-inning scoreless streak for the offense. “Adding and winning, that’s going to be a great combination coming down the stretch here.”

The Mets do possess trade chips ranging from the extremely desirable (Brandon Sproat, MLB Pipeline’s 94th-ranked prospect in baseball) to the flier variety (Brett Baty, a change-of-scenery candidate who no longer has an obvious path to playing time in New York) to the more far-fetched. Earlier this month, Jeff McNeil’s name surfaced in talks with at least one team, according to a person familiar with the situation. Another source said the Mets have concurrently expressed interest in infield help -- not an obvious need as the roster is currently constructed.

While such conversations speak to the wide-ranging nature of the front office’s trade dialogue, the Mets’ clear and obvious need in the wake of Senga’s injury is pitching. The most compelling aspect of the next two days is how they’ll go to fortify this rotation.

“I think that we’ve made some great additions,” was how Alonso gauged the situation. “Who knows what will happen next?”