Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Who would have thought the most impactful free agent loss of the offseason was Trevor Williams?

The Mets replaced Jacob deGrom with Justin Verlander, Chris Bassitt with Kodai Senga, and Taijuan Walker with Jose Quintana. The one move they didn’t make this offseason was bringing in a new bulk/spot starter. That’s because they believe they already have two on the roster: David Peterson and Tylor Megill.

Williams departed for the Washington Nationals after spending a year and a half on the Mets. In 2022, Williams made nine starts and 30 appearances. He threw 89.2 innings for a 3.21 ERA. Williams’ decision to leave the Mets came down to starting pitching opportunity elsewhere and not because of New York’s disinterest in him.

Still, with a potentially volatile rotation, the Mets needed to plan for the eventual injury of someone. That’s where Peterson and Megill come in.

In an interview with the New York Post, pitching coach Jeremy Hefner divulged his thoughts on the situation.

“What a blessing it is for us,” Hefner told The Post. “Maybe not a blessing for them, because in a lot of ways they are on the outside looking in, but things change all the time in this game, so if those guys start the year in Triple-A, we have two guys that probably deserve to be in the big leagues just from their past performance and their stuff.”

Even those two had their injury issues, mainly Megill, who missed most of the second half with a shoulder strain. Peterson was more than reliable going 6-5 with a 3.86 ERA in 19 starts.

“Stretching out Peterson and Megill in spring training is important and having them readily available in case something happens — and we’ll kind of see how the season unfolds — and I would imagine their roles would be similar,” Hefner said.

“If we have five starters make every single start all year they will be in the bullpen at some point, but that rarely ever happens. We need those guys. To do the things we want to as a team we need them to be the studs that they are.”

Other options for the Mets this season are Elieser Hernandez and Joey Lucchesi. Hernandez was acquired from Miami in November. The Mets hope there is still some untapped upside for the 27-year-old after posting a 6.35 ERA in 20 appearances last year. Lucchesi spent the 2022 season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, he did not make an appearance in the majors but pitched in Triple-A.

Hefner says there’s a role for Lucchesi somewhere.

“I think all options are on the table for him,” Hefner said. “I think Joey could be in that Megill/Peterson bucket, but he also could be a long man. He is deceptive, batters don’t see him well, he can get quick outs. He doesn’t walk guys, he throws the ball over the plate and he will take the ball. He wants to be in the game and be a part of it.”

Four pitchers, all trying to replace the impact of one. The Mets should be solid in this area if their guys are ready to take on this new role.