NY Mets: Five offseason Brandon Nimmo trade destinations

Chicago Cubs

One of the Chicago Cubs’ most glaring issues for over a year has been the absence of a good-hitting outfielder. Their offense cooled down greatly at the end of the regular season and in their brief playoff appearance when they were swept in two games by the Miami Marlins during the NL Wild Card series (the Cubs scored a grand total of one run).

Baseball fans are aware that this wasn’t the best of seasons for the likes of Javier Baez, Willson Contreras, Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, and more, but who knows how things would’ve turned out for the Cubs had they had a solid bat in the outfield.

Center fielder Ian Happ did have a breakout year and was the team’s best hitter when the season came to a close, but that wasn’t enough. Happ also became Chicago’s primary leadoff man, but Nimmo is the better option and gives the team much depth in terms of solid offensive outfielders. Nimmo would bolster Chicago’s lineup immensely.

The question becomes: what can the Cubs offer the Mets in return? Let’s start with a name that may come as a surprise to some, catcher Willson Contreras. The 28-year-old, as was previously mentioned, had a down year at the plate but that shouldn’t impact his trade value much.

He’s a two-time All-Star and has a career slash line of .265/.351/.463 with an OPS of .814 and an OPS+ of 113, and has hit 74 home runs and recorded 253 RBI in 493 regular season games. His defense has also improved immensely- in fact, he’s been named as a 2020 Gold Glove finalist.

Contreras has emerged as one of the best catchers in the game and most teams would be thrilled to have someone like him behind the plate. The Mets would be one of those teams.

Wilson Ramos is older, isn’t a good defender, and is coming off a bad offensive year. Now that Steve Cohen is taking over, it’s believed that he might look to acquire a catcher. Contreras would be the perfect fit.

He would bring great defense to a team that needs it and bringing him in would add a very productive bat to an already stacked lineup. He’s also under team control through the 2022 season, which is perfect for the Mets.

Francisco Alvarez, the Mets’ second overall prospect and their best catching prospect, is expected to be ready for the majors by 2023. In this scenario, Contreras would be a solution to a serious issue and the Mets wouldn’t have to worry about paying him as he approaches free agency.

Another potential (but more unlikely) candidate is reliever Craig Kimbrel. The 32-year-old had a rough start to the shortened season but finished on a high note. In the month of September, Kimbrel pitched 15.1 innings and allowed zero runs and three hits while striking out 13 and walking zero. Kimbrel is signed through 2022 and is set to make $16 million a year.

New York’s bullpen had a rough start to the season and was actually one of the worst in the league, but the relievers were able to get it together and finished the season on a very high note. The addition of one or two high-end arms would certainly make it one of the very best bullpens in the league.

Edwin Diaz had a nice comeback season and the Mets will have an embarrassment of riches given the opportunity to use both Diaz and Kimbrel. That would make for an incredibly dangerous setup man-closer duo.

Cleveland Indians

The Cleveland Indians put out one of the worst outfields in all of baseball in 2020 and to say that they desperately need a guy like Nimmo would be an understatement. The Indians are unlikely to be active in free agency but do have needs that must be addressed, particularly in the outfield, so expect to see them active in the trade market.

Nimmo would be an excellent addition for the Indians because he would bolster an anemic outfield and can serve as their leadoff man, which will be especially important if Cleveland chooses to hang on to superstar shortstop Francisco Lindor.

Lindor has been the team’s main leadoff man but the best teams have their best hitter in the two spot, which is something Cleveland would be able to accomplish by adding a guy like Nimmo.

What makes the Indians an attractive trade partner is the potential return the Mets can receive for Nimmo. At this point, the Mets must make pitching a priority, and the Indians are loaded in that regard.

The Indians could look to move starting pitchers Zach Plesac, Aaron Civale, or even Triston McKenzie for the right price. Even reliever Brad Hand would be a welcome addition to New York’s bullpen. The Indians’ farm system has also improved greatly as of late, and could ship some solid prospects New York’s way.

Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers are one of the worst teams in MLB so you might be wondering why on earth I would expect them to give up assets for someone like Nimmo.

The Tigers are pretty abysmal from top to bottom, so don’t expect the outfield to be any different. They need outfielders who are quick, good defenders, have some pop, and are good hitters.

Most rebuilding teams would wait until their own prospects are ready in scenarios such as this, but the Tigers don’t exactly have an abundance of young outfielders who fit the criteria. Every team inevitably must engage in trades, and the Tigers likely will have to do so in order to take their outfield of the future to the next level.

They are expected to at least explore the market for outfielders, so why can’t Nimmo and the Mets be part of that conversation? Detroit may be willing to part with some of their pitchers, something the Mets will benefit from, and they have one of the best farm systems in baseball, so they might be willing to send away some youngsters in order to acquire someone like Nimmo.

If not, it would be difficult to sway the Mets with current members of Detroit’s roster, but not impossible. Some players that might turn the heads of the Mets’ organization are relievers Jose Cisnero, Buck Farmer, Daniel Norris, catcher Austin Romine, and starter Matthew Boyd, who might prove to be worth the gamble.

St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals did make the playoffs this season, but they do have issues that must be resolved if they hope to remain contenders, and Nimmo can be of service.

The Cardinals have a bad outfield and a bad offense. Acquiring an outfielder externally might not make much sense because the Cardinals do have great depth in the outfield. However, waiting and hoping for these players to pan out really isn’t the route a playoff contender should take and acquiring an already-established effective outfielder is much more prudent.

Harrison Bader is arguably their best current outfielder, but that isn’t enough if St. Louis hopes to run with the big dogs.

The Cardinals were one of the worst offensive teams in the league in 2020, not generating many runs and hitting a league-low 51 home runs. Nimmo would absolutely change that for the better.

The Cardinals are blessed with great pitching, and will certainly be shopping several of their pitchers during the offseason. One that is repulsive to some but might benefit from a move to New York is Carlos Martinez. Martinez was supposed to be the next big name in pitching but has been hit hard by injuries lately.

The 29-year-old is set to make over $11 million next year and is coming off another bad, shortened season, but it might not be the worst thing in the world for the Mets to acquire him. After all, we know that when he’s on top of his game he’s as good as some of the best in the league and he’s versatile, able to start and come in as a reliever. He just has to stay healthy.

The Cardinals don’t have a great farm system and likely won’t be willing to give up one of their few top tier guys for Nimmo, so they’d have to part with players already on the roster. Austin Gomber and Daniel Ponce de Leon are other pitchers the Mets might be interested in.

Tampa Bay Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays were the second-best team in baseball in 2020, but even the best of the best aren’t perfect.

The Rays boast one of the very best pitching staffs in the league and are extremely well-coached, but their lineup could use some work. Getting an outfielder likely isn’t at the top of their to-do list, but it’s something they should consider.

They have some strong hitters but if they hope to build a World Series contender for years to come, the front office will have to strengthen that lineup further. Randy Arozarena has taken the baseball world by storm with his historically great postseason play but it’s still unclear whether or not he can continuously play this well.

Yoshi Tsutsugo struggled mightily at the plate in his first MLB season and is signed for just one more year. Kevin Kiermaier is one of the best defensive outfielders in baseball but isn’t a great hitter. Hunter Renfroe has been getting worse and worse and simply cannot be a starter for a contender.

Manuel Margot is versatile and has a great glove but Nimmo is a better hitter. Margot was also Tampa’s most common leadoff man this season, but Nimmo would be a huge upgrade in that role.

The Rays are also lucky to have the best farm system in baseball, which is littered with excellent pitching prospects whom they might be inclined to ship to New York in exchange for Nimmo.

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As for players on the major league roster, the Rays may feel forced to sacrifice one of their many excellent relievers in order to strengthen the outfield/lineup, a deal that would work out quite well for both the Rays and Mets.