David Peterson had a breakout rookie campaign in the shortened 2020 season, when he was given a rotation spot out of necessity after injuries took down both Noah Syndergaard and Marcus Stroman. He showed a calm and composure that was sorely needed on the Mets pitching staff, and he quickly became the Mets best starter not named Jacob deGrom.
During the 2021 offseason, the Mets kept Marcus Stroman with a qualifying offer, traded for Carlos Carrasco and signed Taijuan Walker, remaking most of their rotation for the upcoming season. Now Peterson was going into Spring Training with, at best, a strong shot to make fifth spot in the rotation.