LAS VEGAS — The Mets left the GM meetings with an additional starting pitcher in place for next season. 

Carlos Carrasco will be retained on a club option, general manager Billy Eppler said Thursday. The Mets had until Thursday to exercise that option worth $14 million for next season or give Carrasco a $3 million buyout. 

Carrasco, 35, went 15-7 with a 3.97 ERA in 29 starts for the Mets last season. The right-hander joins Max Scherzer as the starting pitchers the Mets have locked up from last year’s rotation, as Jacob deGrom, Taijuan Walker and Chris Bassitt are all free agents. 

“We value [Carrasco] as a starter, like the arsenal of tools and the presence that he brings on the mound,” Eppler said. “He is reliable, and we know he can handle New York and a lot of those elements draw that decision.” 

Carrasco pitched 152 innings last season, his heaviest workload in four years. The innings buildup might have contributed to his lackluster final three starts of the season, in which he failed to pitch beyond four innings. 

Carrasco’s contract contained an option that would have vested had he reached 170 innings, but an August stint on the injured list with an oblique strain contributed to him falling short of that total. The Mets then held the option on Carrasco’s return. 

“It fills one spot on the depth chart with somebody that we like, so that is a big thing,” Eppler said. 

DeGrom and Walker both opted out from their contracts this week and Bassitt declined his side of a mutual option, leaving holes in the rotation. The Mets have rotation depth in Tylor Megill and David Peterson, and it’s possible one or both could be in play for a full-time starting job next season. 

But most of the intrigue surrounding the Mets relates to deGrom and what the club is willing to pay him to return. The 34-year-old was set to earn $30.5 million next season, but he could be seeking a deal that sets a record for annual average value. Scherzer last offseason signed a three-year contract that averages $40.3 million, the highest for any pitcher. 

The Rangers, Dodgers, Cubs, Braves and Yankees are among the teams that could be suitors for deGrom, who returned from the injured list after more than a calendar year sidelined and pitched to a 3.08 ERA in 11 starts for the Mets. 

If deGrom departs, the Mets could choose to pursue another Cy Young-caliber pitcher in Justin Verlander, who opted out from his contract with the Astros on Thursday. 

Walker is maybe the least likely of the free-agent starting pitchers to return after the Mets failed to extend him a qualifying offer worth $19.65 million for next season. But the Mets could also look to sign Walker for a lower amount. Walker, who pitched to a 3.49 ERA in 29 starts for the Mets last season, will likely command a multiyear deal on the open market. 

Bassitt has told teammates he liked pitching for the Mets and remains a possibility for a return after going 15-9 with a 3.42 ERA in 30 starts for the team last season. The right-hander was the Mets’ most dependable starter last season given the amount of time deGrom and Scherzer missed on the injured list. 

“I am not going to put a number on it, but we would still be interested in adding starters,” Eppler said.