PORT ST. LUCIE — David Peterson would have won a job on most teams for this season based on his 2022 performance.

The Mets aren’t most teams.

Realizing the need for depth at starting pitching, the team’s brass plans to use the fact the 27-year-old lefty has minor league options remaining to keep him stretched out at Triple-A Syracuse, as insurance against an injury to the rotation. Peterson will join Tylor Megill — who because of injuries was the Mets’ Opening Day starter in 2022 — in that regard.

Peterson appeared in 28 games (19 starts) for the Mets last season and pitched to a 3.83 ERA. It was a leap forward for Peterson in proving he belonged after a rocky injury-shortened 2021 season.

But if Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Kodai Senga, Jose Quintana and Carlos Carrasco all remain healthy, Peterson will be watching from the outside as the season begins.

“We did a good job in the offseason in terms of making moves that made this team better, and steps that we think are going to put us in a direction to achieve the goals we want to achieve,” Peterson said Friday at Clover Park. “I can’t really worry about the decision making. But I can focus on my work and make sure I’m ready for any opportunity that we get.”

After signing Verlander, Senga and Quintana in December, the Mets at least considered the possibility of trading the 36-year-old Carrasco, whose $14 million option was picked up after the season. Such a move would have perhaps yielded an outfielder or reliever and created a regular spot for Peterson or Megill, but general manager Billy Eppler ultimately kept all his starting pitching.

Peterson’s renewed trust in his four-seam fastball helped him strike out 126 batters over 105 2/3  innings. His strikeout rate of 27.8 percent ranked in MLB’s 80th percentile, according to Statcast.

“I think he’s really identified the last pieces that might be missing,” manager Buck Showalter said. “Now he’s got a purpose to everything he is doing and he knows exactly what he’s got to do. He’s going to get the opportunity. I wish it was a little more clear-cut right now, but he is going to get the opportunity.”

Showalter said he challenged Peterson last season to push hard in his starts for Syracuse rather than just view the outings as down time before his next appearance in the major leagues.

“He went down one time with it kind of closed in when he was coming back,” Showalter said. “I said, ‘I am going to watch the boxscore when you pitch and I am going to watch how you pitch and I want to see you really get people out down there.’ It’s not like, ‘Let’s go throw a little bit so I can go back to New York and get it over with.’

“You have to get after it. Respect that level and have people continue to think good things about you, and he did. Pete gets it. There’s just a couple of things he has to get more consistent with, which he did at times last year. He had some outings as good as you want to see.”

Peterson often turned to Scherzer for advice last season, respecting the opinions the three-time Cy Young award winner brought to the conversation.

“It’s good to have a different perspective,” Peterson said. “I have tried to pick the brains of the veteran guys that have had a lot of success in this game and it’s always good when you bring new guys in because everybody goes about it in a different way.”

Peterson will also enjoy the opportunity to brainstorm with Quintana — the first lefty other than himself in the Mets’ rotation since Steven Matz’s departure after the 2020 season.

“It’s been a little while,” Peterson said. “There’s plenty I can take from [Quintana] as well.”