An early exit from the postseason has New York Mets fans already dreaming of what could have been and what will be. We’ve seen what happens when Steve Cohen is unhappy with the team’s performance. Our expectations should be an even more aggressive front office in the coming year.
When it comes to piecing together a dream Mets starting lineup, we do have to have some sense of reality with some fantasy thrown in, too.
This dream Mets starting lineup deserves an asterisk. It’s so completely unrealistic yet also entirely possible. How close will we get to live this dream?
1) Dream NY Mets starting lineup: Brandon Nimmo batting first, CF
Nothing changes at the top of the order. The Mets re-sign Brandon Nimmo and move forward with him at the top of the batting order and playing center field. Frankly, there aren’t too many center fielders who come anywhere close to what he can do.
Re-signing Nimmo is an entirely non-fiction move for the Mets to make this offseason. He’s hard to replace internally and externally. Any trade they may make for a center fielder would be an immediate downgrade on offense or defense—most likely the former.
Nimmo has become one of the most reliable center fielders in the game. The Mets can count on him to play a steady defense, get on base, and produce runs in multiple ways.
There aren’t any realistic upgrades the Mets could possibly make at center field for next season. While they do have several candidates that could bat leadoff for them, Nimmo is a dream center fielder for the 2023 starting lineup.