3 easiest Mets roster decisions for Billy Eppler this offseason

3) Easy NY Mets roster decision: Re-sign Brandon Nimmo

As far as retaining players goes, nobody is more obvious to re-sign than Brandon Nimmo. Jacob deGrom could ask for too much. Even Edwin Diaz, another guy the Mets need to prioritize, can be more easily replaced on this roster than Nimmo.

Nimmo has been a lifelong Mets player but that doesn’t mean he’ll be offering any hometown discounts. We should expect Nimmo to chase the best deal out there with Scott Boras as his agent.

The Mets will have a tough time replacing Nimmo if he does leave. Starling Marte played only five innings in center field for the Mets this past year. He’s not the answer. Nor is anyone else in free agency. Don’t even think about trying to find a solution via trade.

There will be a huge hole on the Mets roster without Nimmo on it. That’s the trouble with center fielders. There are so few ever available who can do the types of things he can. We can find replacements for other players about to hit free agency. For Nimmo, nobody is even close to him.

Don’t even dream of Aaron Judge signing with the Mets and being a sustainable answer in center field either. That’s the kind of move that only works in fantasy baseball when a guy plays enough innings somewhere else and becomes eligible for a place he’s not suited. It doesn’t hurt your fantasy team. It could become a problem for the real Mets. It’s also just not something we should expect.