Mets: Three types of fans when it comes to Brandon Nimmo trade discussions

New York Mets fans have some strong opinions on what to do with Brandon Nimmo.

Brandon Nimmo is one member of the New York Mets trade block I’m not sure too many of us expected to see this winter. The team has reportedly spoken to the Pittsburgh Pirates about him in their negotiations for outfielder Starling Marte.

Last winter, Nimmo’s name did come up in talks with the Cleveland Indians and even for former Miami Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto. The Mets held onto the happiest man in baseball, which thus far was a decision that hasn’t paid off. That’s only because Nimmo missed a large portion of 2019 due to injury.

Opinions on Nimmo differ more than the plaid underwear I buy from Walmart. Those opinions are quite strong, too. Let’s examine those three types of Mets fans when it comes to their thoughts on Nimmo.

“You can’t trade him! This statistic you don’t understand was one of the best in baseball back in 2018.”

The modern baseball fan loves their numbers. They love to reference them as much as possible and debase you if you don’t understand what it means or why it’s important.

Nimmo’s numbers are far from Hall of Fame worthy, but there are some totals that are pretty sweet. This is largely due to the fact that he finds a way to get on base. OBP helps lift up a variety of numbers, including WAR, WRC+, and others that have old men everywhere screaming at clouds.

I get Mets fans who fall into this category. They appreciate parts of Nimmo not everyone even comprehends.

“Trade him! I’m lukewarm about everything and only look at a player’s batting average.”

Then there are those Mets fans who want to see Nimmo’s smile in another city. They don’t care how many numbers you reference. He ain’t that good anyway because his batting average is mediocre.

Some bias towards Nimmo’s struggles in 2019 likely plays a part here. It was a poor season for him at the plate with a .221 average at the end of the year. Unless a guy is swatting a lot of home runs, it’s tough to get excited for someone hitting this low to step up to the plate. Walks aren’t that exciting or important, according to these fans.

In the right trade, moving Nimmo does make some sense. The Mets fans who are lukewarm on him, however, seem to struggle to find any realistic deal. Many either undervalue him or somehow think he’s worth much more on the trade market despite having some poor personal opinions of him.

“Keep him! Let’s see what happens next.”

I suppose this is the category I fall into. I’m not opposed to trading Nimmo. I also acknowledge he’s a bit of a stat junkie’s dream boy more than he is a superstar.

At this stage of his career, Nimmo’s potential feels untapped. He’s not a perfect player, but who is?

Yes, people like me are boring. We don’t like taking risks. We would rather sit on our hands than gamble on a trade. If we were the general manager of the Mets, we would just bring back everyone every year and hope things work out for the best. In time, maybe we do change our minds—hopefully, it’s just not too late.

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Which category do you fall into?