BALTIMORE -- For all the players that the Mets’ Trade Deadline directional pivot leaves in an awkward position in terms of 2024, there are players for whom it creates legitimate opportunity. Consider that dynamic a loose theme of the team’s weekend in Baltimore, where David Peterson and Tylor Megill (Saturday) rejoined the rotation in Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander’s places in the wake of New York’s Deadline selling spree.

Regular depth options in the rotation for the past handful of seasons, Peterson and Megill have combined to make 97 starts for the Mets since 2020, to varying degrees of success. But for various reasons, neither has been able to lock down a permanent starting role, instead bouncing between the rotation, the bullpen and the Minors with regularity during that time. Now with two spots open, both are receiving that chance again, and how they handle it will influence the Mets’ 2024 rotation and beyond.

It was with that as a backdrop that Peterson returned to the rotation in the Mets’ 10-3 loss Friday night to the first-place Orioles at Oriole Park. Working on a 60-pitch limit, Peterson walked three but allowed only one hit, rebounding from a 28-pitch first inning to complete three scoreless innings in his first start since July 8. The Orioles rallied against the Mets’ bullpen afterwards, crashing manager Buck Showalter’s return to Camden Yards on the strength of a trio of run-scoring hits by old friend James McCann, and a game-breaking Jordan Westburg homer in the seventh.

Nonetheless, Friday featured a solid return to the rotation for Peterson, who had been in the bullpen for the past three weeks.

“It’s a step,” Showalter said of the left-hander’s outing. “A good step for him.”

Peterson had pitched well out of the ‘pen, posting a 2.25 ERA and a strikeout per inning in six relief appearances. But he was there because he struggled (“It was a valid reason,” Peterson said) to the tune of a 6.46 ERA in 11 starts as the Mets’ veteran starters dealt with injuries in the first half.

“There was a reason for [the demotion],” Peterson said. “I didn’t start the way I wanted to or the way the team wanted to. I needed to get back to who I am.”

With those veterans no longer around, the Mets are hoping the 27-year-old southpaw can at least regain the promise he showed in 2022, when Peterson logged a 3.83 ERA across 105 2/3 innings (19 starts). His outings should get longer as he continues to stretch out down the stretch.

“Personally, I’m focused on taking the ball every fifth day and building on the recent success that I’ve had,” Peterson said. “Continuing that and continuing to improve.”

Megill’s track record is shorter and less extensive than Peterson’s, and the towering righty is returning to the Mets on the heels of a poor six-start stretch at Triple-A. He’ll carry a 5.17 ERA into Saturday’s start, his first in the Majors since June 21. 

“The people getting an opportunity have to take advantage of it,” Showalter said.

That’s because without Verlander and Scherzer, the look of New York’s 2024 rotation is very much up in the air. All-Star righty Kodai Senga and lefty José Quintana are poised to return under guaranteed contracts. 

Besides that? Carlos Carrasco is 36, on an expiring contract and lugging around a 6.60 ERA. New York’s top pitching prospect, Blake Tidwell, is talented but likely needs more polish, considering his 6.75 ERA at Double-A (though he's had only one start at that level). As currently constructed, the organization’s remaining depth at Triple-A consists of No. 19 prospect José Butto and Joey Lucchesi. Neither has pitched particularly well of late.

Hence the opportunity for Peterson and Megill, who, at this juncture, represent 40 percent of the Mets’ projected 2024 rotation. Even with the team likely to supplement that staff through free agency in some fashion, any success that pair has down the stretch won’t only help the team win games this season, it will help solidify the team’s thinking heading into an uncertain winter. 

“It’s an opportunity for the team and for myself,” Peterson said. “It’s an opportunity for us to see what we’re made of. We’ve got plenty of games left. … The mindset of the team and organization has obviously changed from where we started the year, but that doesn’t mean we don’t play the rest of the games. We have to finish strong. I think it’s a big opportunity to show the front office what we have going into the offseason [and] give them an opportunity to make some moves and head into next year strong.”