Photo by Chris Simon
Brandon Nimmo and the New York Mets have remained in contact but the two parties aren’t expected to meet in person this week at the MLB Winter Meetings, per Mike Puma of the New York Post.
Nimmo is in San Diego as big name free agents begin to fall off the board and his market seems pretty intense with the outfielder market razor thin after Nimmo and superstar slugger Aaron Judge. The Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners are three of the teams believed to have interest in Nimmo.
While Nimmo isn’t scheduled to meet with the Mets front office this week, he will meet with the New York Yankees who are seeking two outfielders, according to Jon Heyman of The Post. Judge is obviously the main priority for the Yankees this winter, but Nimmo would provide a much-needed lefty bat and he’s used to the pressure of playing in New York.
And, per Heyman, if Nimmo does sign elsewhere then the Mets are looking into the possibility of signing veteran center fielder Kevin Kiermaier. The 32-year-old hit .228/.281/.369/.649 with seven home runs and 22 RBI in just 63 games for the Rays in 2022. While Kiermaier doesn’t have the same offensive ceiling as Nimmo, he probably owns a better glove and he’s renowned for his defensive prowess as well as his ability to make flashy plays in the field. Another one of the team’s backup plans–Cody Bellinger–signed a one-year deal with the Cubs.
However, it is worth noting that not all hope is lost when it comes to Nimmo returning to the Mets. After all, general manager Billy Eppler has made it clear that his team still has plenty of business to do even after signing ace starter Justin Verlander to a two-year, $86 million contract on Monday, and Nimmo was a huge part of this offense in 2022. Given their aspirations to compete for the World Series in 2023, it would make perfect sense for the Mets to bring the 29-year-old back and Nimmo’s agent, Scott Boras, had some interesting comments on Tuesday.
“There’s nothing that I see about them that has changed their direction or attitude toward getting the best players in the marketplace,” Boras said about the Mets being aggressive in free agency during his press availability at the Winter Meetings.
Given that Nimmo is the second-best outfielder available on the free agent market, Boras’ comments would suggest that the Mets are still very much interested in bringing one of their leaders back. Nimmo hit .274/.367/.433/.800 with 16 home runs, 30 doubles, seven triples and 64 RBI in 673 plate appearances in 2022. He established himself as a high-end leadoff hitter and his return would represent an important piece of business for the Mets as they continue to try and build a championship caliber roster.
