Last year, the Mets declined to re-sign their star, homegrown outfielder to a extension, on account of an injury that wasn't quite public yet. This year, while said outfielder was signing with San Francisco [ironically], there were worries that they'd also let their other star homegrown outfielder leave in free agency, especially after money was already spent on Jose Quintana, Justin Verlander and Kodai Senga.
Well, because this is Steve Cohen's team, and because reported-upon injuries don't seem to factor into his plans, he re-upped Brandon Nimmo for the rest of the decade on top of all the pitcher signings, solely because he could. And honestly, it's been going pretty well, as Nimmo's been one of the best Mets performers so far this year, hitting .310 with 39 hits, 14 RBIs and 3 home runs. Nimmo still sits firmly alongside Lindor and McNeil as multi-faceted, contact-hitting stars in the heart of the lineup, and I don't know if the Mets would have the same punch without him.
What's funny, though is that re-signing Nimmo might have been one of the more sensible, and less superfluous, deals the Mets have made during the Cohen era. Reupping Diaz and McNeil also fall into this category, as will, I hope, an eventual Pete Alonso extension, but it feels less like a serve and more like a logical curation of preexisting factors, i.e. how a big-money team should, in theory, operate. It's just the other stuff, like giving 39-iear-old Justin Verlander 87 million more dollars or giving Francisco Lindor a 10-year deal, that seems more like frosting for already good teams, and make them even bigger-looking when they fall.
Like, the Scherzer deal is looking a little dicier than it was, not just because Scherz is 38, but because supposed tack usage and now some late scratches, he's not the sure thing he once was, and is growing the ire of fans. If Scherzer and Verlander aren't going to deliver as they have even one or two years ago, then all this excess spending is...just that. Excessive.
This is still a very good Mets team, and they're getting a lot out of not just the big signings but the smaller deals, like David Robertson, Dan Vogelbach and Adam Ottavino. The rookies, like Brett Baty, Jose Butto and Francisco Alvarez, are also coming into their own with this team, and getting more and more chances to succeed. Baty might be the surest bet of all these guys, which is reassuring considering the downturn in Escobar's numbers.
I think both their massive weight and someone like the Braves will continue to be potential pitfalls for this Mets team, and as good as they've been I'm still seeing some flaws that have yet to be ironed out. We'll see if they improve further, and if Nimmo keeps at it.
Coming Tomorrow- Literally the only low-budget phenom the Rays have ever let get away before becoming a star.
As a fan I always like Conforto more than Nimmo, but in baseball terms it certainly appears we made the right choice between them.
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