No Brandon Nimmo contract extension yet, what's next?

While many have focused on Jacob deGrom's injury, and the continued availability of Michael Conforto in free agency, the lack of a contract extension between the New York Mets and Brandon Nimmo has flown under the radar.

Brandon Nimmo is in his age-29 season and has been an on-base machine for the New York Mets since entering the league. He has quickly become a fan favorite due to his vibrant personality, and tendency to always be smiling, no matter the outcome of an at-bat. Nimmo is a hard-nosed player, who always hustles, and even sprints to first base on walks.

Brandon Nimmo, Mets haven't even begun extension talks

However, despite the love from the fans, and his hard-nosed play style, Nimmo and the Mets have not even had discussions of a contract extension. In an interview with SNY, Nimmo said "I've expressed my interest in staying here, but nothing's come my way."

Nimmo seems to understand the desire to wait and see where things stand after this season from the Mets' perspective and it appears that that's the way things are headed. But, it begs the question of should the Mets have at least entertained extension talks? While it may be smart to wait until the offseason for a contract offer, it couldn't have hurt to see what Nimmo's asking price was now, in order to possibly lock him up long-term.

According to Baseball Reference, Nimmo has a career .392 on base percentage, with an .838 OPS, and 371 hits in his six-year career as a Met. His ability to get on base has made him a saber-metrics darling, and with him staying in center field this year, he will have every opportunity that he is able to contribute defensively as well.

Where do Nimmo and the Mets go from here?

With the season underway, the Mets and Nimmo are likely to let the season play out and discuss a potential new deal in the offseason. The two sides are unlikely to engage in contract talks in-season, and the team.

With talks likely stalled until the offseason, Nimmo will have every opportunity to boost his value in a contract year. Playing for a new contract could add extra motivation for Nimmo, who could join a long list of players who have had career years when playing for a new contract.

However, Nimmo just needs to be the same player he has always been, it is health that he needs to prove. As long as he continues to play the same way he has, and stays healthy, he will earn himself a nice raise next offseason. Whether it is with the Mets or not remains to be seen, but if he can do those two things, he will get a nice contract from some team.

Nimmo and the Mets will both hope for a better season in his final year under contract than Michael Conforto had last year. Conforto declined a contract extension offer from the Mets prior to last season that would have paid him around $100 million, according to SNY reporter Andy Martino. However, he had career lows across the board last season, and remains unsigned now

The Mets will need a big season out of Nimmo this year in order to make a deep playoff run. He will be an integral part of a lineup that is centered around himself, Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, and Starling Marte. A healthy and productive season from Nimmo will benefit the Mets now, as well as himself long-term. How things turn out remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure, this will be an ongoing discussion until Nimmo signs or leaves for another team.