Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the Mets balked at giving up Brandon Nimmo in a trade for Andrew McCutchen before he was traded to the San Francisco Giants yesterday.
It is also mentioned in the article that the Mets believe that they can, in turn, center a deal around Nimmo to entice the Pirates to deal Josh Harrison.
However, with many free agent options available, Rosenthal’s sources say the Mets might refuse to give up Nimmo in a deal for Harrison as well.
Nimmo hit .260/.379/.418 with a 117 wRC+ while drawing a whopping 33 walks in 215 plate appearances while recording -1 defensive runs saved playing all three outfield positions last season.
McCutchen had a bounce-back year in 2017 with a .279/.363/.486 slash line to go along with 28 home runs, 94 RBIs, and a 122 wRC+.
Defensively, McCutchen has compiled -44 defensive runs saved in center field over the last two seasons, including -14 this past season.
The 31-year old is under contract for just the 2018 season at $14.5 million.
Harrison, meanwhile hit .272/.339/.432 this past season with a career-high of 16 home runs with 47 RBIs that gave him a wRC+ of 104.
His best value might be in his defense, though. At second base, Harrison recorded six defensive runs saved last season and has 22 for his career at the keystone. He also recorded two defensive runs saved at third base last season and 19 for his career.
The 30-year old is under control for the next three seasons and will make $10.5 million this season while McCutchen will make $14.5 million and will be a free agent after 2018.
