3 big threats to sign Brandon Nimmo away this offseason

Wild Card Series - San Diego Padres v New York Mets - Game Two
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Brandon Nimmo has become one of the best center fielders in baseball. He has developed into a good defender and remains one of the league’s best threats to get on base. On the New York Mets, he has established himself as the table-setter at the top of the order.

Re-signing Nimmo this offseason is an important aspect of general manager Billy Eppler’s mission to come back in 2023 with a strong roster. Replacing him would be next to impossible. Unfortunately, other good and active teams could also use that center field boost.

In their attempt to keep Nimmo in New York, it’s these three teams that could pose the biggest threat to signing the happiest man in the game.

1) NY Mets have a threat in the Houston Astros to sign Brandon Nimmo

The Houston Astros consistently one of baseball’s best teams. Something they didn’t have in 2022 was a very good center fielder. Chas McCormick was a decent option for them. However, Nimmo would be a major upgrade.

The Astros will have quite a few big openings in their roster for the 2023 season. The outfield is one of those spots. Aside from right fielder Kyle Tucker, the team will have room to improve in center field and left field.

Houston has been pretty lucky with a lot their free agent signings in recent years. Michael Brantley aged well until injuries finally caught up with him. He’s a free agent after this season and Nimmo would be a similar-style player in some ways to replace him on the roster.

During most offseasons, it’s the Astros who always appear as a threat for a lot of different available players. The case remains the same with Nimmo who will be arguably the best center fielder in the market—assuming we all agree Aaron Judge qualifies more as a right fielder.

2) NY Mets have a threat in the Boston Red Sox to sign Brandon Nimmo

Plenty went wrong for the Boston Red Sox this past year. An area of concern for them throughout the 2022 season was the outfield. Left fielder Alex Verdugo had an okay season. Beyond him, things were a bit messy.

Starting center fielder Enrique Hernandez was injured often and when he was healthy he batted just .222. Right fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. didn’t even make it through the whole year before getting released. Youngsters Jarren Duran failed to establish himself fully as a player they can trust next year. If Boston wants to bounce back quickly, a deal with Nimmo is one way to improve their roster in a big way.

The Red Sox are in danger of losing some major players this offseason. Xander Bogaerts could opt-out. The team may also see several of their starting pitchers depart. They aren’t typically a team to undergo any lengthy rebuild. Even if they take an approach closer to what the Chicago Cubs did last offseason by buying mildly, Nimmo could fit in with their plans.

Outfielders can get taken for granted. We’ve seen past Mets teams do this at a position or two. They didn’t get caught with those issues in 2022. Nimmo was joined by Mark Canha and Starling Marte this past season for one of the best trios in the game.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox had one of the worst outfield groups in the sport. Nimmo can help change this completely.

3) NY Mets have a threat in the Los Angeles Dodgers to sign Brandon Nimmo

What’s in the water Cody Bellinger is drinking? A free agent after the 2023 season, the former National League MVP struggled through this most recent season yet again. It’s becoming a trend. This homage to Joey Gallo needs to stop.

If the Astros are a threat to sign Nimmo away from the Mets, consider the Los Angeles Dodgers a team that will be on the phone with him the first day he hits free agency. Nimmo might not be the greatest need for their roster. Considering they could lose Trea Turner and Bellinger could always get dumped elsewhere, we can already see more room clearing out for the starting center fielder on the 2022 Mets.

Nimmo’s ability to get on base would make him a nice fit for the Dodgers. For as dangerous as their offense is, they had to see many of their more well-known hitters struggle this past season. Bellinger was joined by Chris Taylor and Max Muncy as players who batted .221 or lower. They could actually use a player like Nimmo at the top of their order—especially if Turner departs.

The Dodgers are always a scary team in free agency and trades, too. Failure to win the 2022 World Series will only make them a bigger danger to steal Nimmo away from the Mets and maybe even a few others.

Next. How Billy Eppler muffed the DH spot in the Mets lineup. dark

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