Three Mets fan favorites who might be in another uniform before Opening Day

Brandon Nimmo

I hope this doesn’t happen. Who doesn’t love Brandon Nimmo? I think he is such a good baseball player and is so valuable to this team. His ability to get on base at the top of the order with so many capable bats behind him is such a weapon. Nimmo has a career .390 OBP and had a .404 OBP last season. If he ever improves against left-handed pitching his OBP will be at an even more elite level than it already is.

While Nimmo is known for his on-base skills and his amazing smile, he has very underrated power. In 2018, Nimmo played in 140 games and hit 17 home runs. For a leadoff hitter that is a very good number. In 2020, Nimmo played in 55 of the Mets 60 games. He hit eight home runs. If this was a full 162 game season, Nimmo was on pace for 22 home runs.

The solid power along with his ability to get on base makes him so valuable at the top of the Mets order. With guys like Jeff McNeil, Pete Alonso, and Michael Confroto hitting behind him, assuming health (which has always been an issue) I would not be surprised if Nimmo led the National League in runs next year.

While I don’t want the Mets to trade him, I do think they may do. Nimmo is not a center fielder and putting him out there causes more harm than good. With Nimmo in a corner outfield spot, his defense gets much better. However, there are three people for two corner spots. Michael Conforto is locked into one. The Mets need to extend him. But left field could be manned by Nimmo or Dom Smith.

While in a perfect world both would have a place to play, it probably isn’t the best idea to waste one of them on the bench. Of course, it’s good to have them there as an insurance option if someone gets hurt but is that worth it if they can make an upgrade elsewhere? I’m not saying the Mets will end up trading Nimmo, I hope they don’t, but he’s someone a team like the Indians or Rockies will look into if the Mets end up trading for Francisco Lindor or Nolan Arenado.