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

The New York Mets have a deep roster, but a lot of holes. In order to fill those holes, they might have to look into trading some fan favorites.

In the first offseason of the Steve Cohen era, the New York Mets have already made moves. They signed James McCann to a four-year $40 million-dollar contract. They signed Trevor May to a two-year $15.5 million-dollar contract. Those signings helped fill two major holes the Mets had. However, there’s still more work to be done.

The Mets have a gaping hole in center field. Brandon Nimmo statistically was one of the worst defensive center fielders in the game last year. Do the Mets try it with Nimmo again or will they sign someone like George Springer? The Mets also have a big need for starting pitching. After Jacob deGrom and Marcus Stroman, there are question marks. Will David Peterson be a reliable starting option? Will Seth Lugo be in the rotation? Can Steven Matz be trusted?

These questions will be answered either through free agency or via trade. With the announcement that there will be no Designated Hitter in the National League for the 2021 season, the Mets have some decisions to make. With the roster as presently constructed, assuming they sign a legit center fielder, they will have a player who should be starting like Dom Smith or Brandon Nimmo on the bench. With that in mind, the Mets may look to ship some of their depth away to fill some different holes.

Players like Nolan Arenado, Francisco Lindor, Sonny Gray, and others might be available for the Mets to trade for. If they think the price is right, I would not be surprised to see any combination of these three players involved in a deal.

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.

Amed Rosario

After the second half of the 2019 season when Rosario slashed .319/.351/.484 with seven home runs I thought he would break out and finally give the full season of star production we have been waiting for. The former top prospect did exactly the opposite in 2020. Rosario slashed .252/.272/.371 with four home runs and 15 RBI. In September Rosario lost his everyday starting job to Andres Gimenez.

The big issue with Rosario is if he doesn’t get a hit, he doesn’t get on base. He drew a total of four walks in 147 plate appearances. That number is just unacceptable.

If he is not traded, Rosario will probably platoon with Gimenez. It will be the same situation as 2020 when Gimenez started against the righties and Rosario against the lefties. Luis Rojas also said he expects to use Rosario at other infield positions next season.

Like Smith and Nimmo, Rosario is too talented to be a bench player in my opinion. I still have faith that he will break out eventually. But his approach at the plate must change and his discipline must improve.

I believe of the three listed Rosario is the most likely candidate to be traded. I think Francisco Lindor is going to be dealt before opening day and fully expect the Mets to be in on him. If that trade happens, it makes sense to have Rosario, a young controllable shortstop with great potential, as a piece in the deal.

I believe while Gimenez is the safer option of the two, Rosario has more star potential. We’ve seen glimpses of what he can do with the bat. When he gets hot, he can really hit. And that combined with his speed can make for a really good shortstop. Gimenez to me is a defensive guy with speed who can do well enough with the bat to play every day. While he did better than expected, let’s not act like a .263/.333/.398 slash line with three home runs is elite production.

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If a Francisco Lindor trade offer is on the table and it involved Dom Smith, Rosario, and a mid-low-level prospect, I think they need to do it. Having this much depth on the bench most nights doesn’t make sense to me. But on the contrary, they should not make trades just to make trades. Get the right pieces back that fill holes.