The baseball reasons the NY Mets cut ties with 4 core players this offseason

They didn’t get along, David Stearns is cheap, political arguments…you can find every reason possible as to why the New York Mets dismantled their roster. There seems to be a 1% truth in all of these theories. However, we can also understand why the Mets dropped four of their core players for baseball reasons, too.

The baseball reason why the Mets moved on from 4 parts of the core

Brandon Nimmo - Future contract flexibility

The first pillar knocked over was Brandon Nimmo. Was it all about a political argument like Mike Francesa claimed? Perhaps a culprit as to why the Nimmos and Lindors didn’t spend Christmas together, there were too many baseball reasons as to why Nimmo was traded away. His long contract was swapped for the much shorter Marcus Semien deal. Semien was a match for the Mets infield on a roster craving run prevention above all else. We’re still waiting to see what the Mets actually do in left field. Something tells me it won’t be an immediate solution.

Pete Alonso - That contract!

The Mets were never going to pay Pete Alonso for five years. The salary amount might not be too out of the scheme of what they would do on an AAV level. Giving him more than his 2025 salary plus 4 times over never seemed to fit the way Stearns builds a team. There was already a perception Stearns didn’t want Alonso back last winter. Alonso came down to his terms of what was essentially a prove it contract, thus continuing the relationship for one more season.

Edwin Diaz - Bad negotiating 

This one feels like bad negotiating. The Mets did want Edwin Diaz back. They just, for some reason, weren’t willing to immediately see things from his perspective. Way too many reasons as to why he sprinted away from Queens to Los Angeles have made this one of the more complicated situations of the offseason. The Mets have yet to make a move to suffice with only Luke Weaver coming after Diaz officially became a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. We’re waiting.

Jeff McNeil - No longer useful at his price

At almost $16 million per year, Jeff McNeil needed to start to be worth his contract. The Mets already had Semien added to the roster, pushing McNeil into left field on the depth chart where he was never going to become the answer. McNeil faded down the stretch last year and hasn’t been a reliable hitter for several seasons. Still very useful, the money didn’t match.