Five For Friday: Five Reasons To Extend Brandon Nimmo

There’s a lot to be happy about in Metville during this holiday season, and it’s not often we can say and truly mean that. Steve Cohen has found his GM, flexed the wallet during the pre-lockout mad dash spending spree, and has now locked up the unanimous choice for manager. And while the elephant in the room is still the lockout, it’s still a fresh new feeling to not only hypothesize about next moves but even see them become reality. 

Next Move: Extend Brandon Nimmo

5. Starling Marte – A lot can be said about Nimmo’s health, or lack thereof, eclipsing 100 games once (2018). He did manage to play in 55 of 60 games during the shortened 2020 season. He sports a 162 game average 4.3 WAR, proving his merit when on the field. With the prudent addition of center fielder Starling Marte, Nimmo can now shift to a corner outfield position, lessening the wear and tear that comes with patrolling center. And while the murkiness of Nimmo’s health can not be ignored, the result should be two-fold: a contract discount and an eagerness to secure long-term stability.

4. Empty Cupboard – It’s no secret that the Mets have a dearth of outfield talent, both in the big leagues and minors. With the departure of Michael Conforto and depth pieces like Kevin Pillar, the Amazins are left with only three true outfielders in Marte, Nimmo, and the recently acquired Mark Canha. Jeff McNeil, Dominic Smith, and J.D. Davis, have all spent time out of their usual infield positions to fill needs in the outfield, but none of them are true outfielders and questions of their tenure loom.

While there may be more depth pieces added after the lockout, they will likely be short term deals, leaving the team with only Marte and Canha under contract beyond 2022. The farm system’s stock is on the rise, but mostly due to strengths at infield and catcher. Khalil Lee is ready for his second call-up, but we’re all a bit weary after seeing him flounder during his first cup of coffee in 2021. There’s also the Nick Plummer addition, a hopefully savvy solution to the depth issues.

3. Money Talks –  How much is Nimmo going to cost? He falls into the mercurial ether of oft-injured / high-ceiling guys. He’s a cheaper, less perplexing version than say what the Yankees need to digest in terms of Aaron Judge’s impending free agency. Let’s try and find some comparisons. 

Another oft-injured Yankee outfielder, Aaron Hicks, signed a 7 year, $70 million contract after the 2019 season at age 30. While you’d expect Nimmo to garner a higher AAV than $10 million at age 28 (he’ll be 29 before the start of the 2022 season), he doesn’t quite have the track record of Starling Marte’s $19.5 million AAV or the hardware of George Springer’s $25 million AAV.

I could see Nimmo and new GM Billy Eppler coming to terms with something in the DJ LeMahieu range of 6 years, $90 million. Start at 5 for $75 million with a few vesting options upwards of 7 for $100 million along with a few plate appearance incentives. Something in that ballpark should work for both sides given the risk/reward.

2. Lifelong Met – This franchise doesn’t exactly have a lengthy roster of franchise players. We all know about the Seaver trade. There’s a short list of lifers ranging from Ed Kranepool to David Wright, and not much in between. Jacob deGrom is certainly making a case, but let’s first see if he exercises his player option after the 2022 season. Michael Conforto was once thought to have joined the ranks but alas has made himself available to the 29 other teams. Nimmo could be the next Met lifer.

Nimmo was drafted by the Mets with the 13th overall pick of the 2011 draft. Over the past decade, Brandon has worked his way through the minors, crafted his disciplined approach at the plate, and has quietly become a perennial on-base percentage guy, with a career batting line of .266/.393/.445. He’s gone from the perceived “at best, a 4th outfielder” to an essential spark plug atop the lineup. He checks all the boxes of a guy you want sticking around for a while.

1. Character Counts – And then there’s Nimmo’s character. In short, he’s second to none in terms of ethical make-up. He’s got the energy and smile of a Gary Carter. He’s got the heart and hustle of a Curtis Granderson. He plays the game the right way, not better exhibited by his run-don’t-walk BB habit. He’s a lead-by-example foxhole figure. And he’s a better guy than he is a player. Once this dreaded lockout ends, here’s hoping Eppler can make this hypothesis a reality.