Thursday Thoughts on Brandon Nimmo's rising price tag and other Mets news

After signing Edwin Diaz to an extension, the New York Mets have had a very slow offseason, similar to the rest of Major League Baseball. Over the last week or so some rumors have started to swirl and that will likely continue going into the Winter Meetings next week. Here are a few thoughts from the last couple of weeks:

Brandon Nimmo is going to be much more expensive than originally anticipated

Coming off of the best season of his career in 2022, the original price tag for Nimmo seemed to be five years and $100 million. Now, with nearly a third of the league interested in his services, some experts now project up to seven years and close to $150 million. 

Some sources still say the Mets are the most likely landing spot for Nimmo, but he has been linked to the Yankees, Rays, Blue Jays, Astros, Mariners, Rockies, Cubs, and there will probably be more interested teams emerging at the Winter Meetings next week. His market will continue to grow and take his price tag with it.

Jose Abreu is off the board

The Mets were linked to Jose Abreu as a DH option, but he has signed a three-year deal with the Houston Astros. He is a consistent, well-rounded hitter who would’ve fit nicely in a DH role, but they will have to look elsewhere to fill that gap now. It may be internal, with some combination of Daniel Vogelbach, Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, and Darin Ruf.

Phillies are the favorite to win the Trea Turner sweepstakes

This is a nightmare scenario for the Mets. We all know what a pest Trea Turner is from his Nationals days, and I have no desire to relive that. Turner is one of the most well-rounded players in baseball, and easily a top 10 overall talent in the game. He's the kind of player you want to root for because he's incredible to watch, but you hate him when he's on teams that rival yours.

The Mets have been linked to Turner as well, even though they don’t necessarily need him with Lindor at short, but he could play other positions to get his potent bat in the lineup. It wouldn't hurt Steve Cohen to up the ante here, since prying Turner away from the Phillies not only improves the Mets, it hurts the Phillies as well.