The New York Mets struck a deal on Sunday night, trading outfielder Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers for second baseman Marcus Semien. Reportedly, the odds are high that the wheeling and dealing in NYM’s front office isn’t done yet, either.
SNY’s John Harper believes the Mets now must pivot to an even bigger move on the free agent market this winter to justify it. Harper had two moves in mind, in particular.
The first is signing a star outfielder like Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker or New York Yankees outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger this winter, or trading for San Diego Padres outfielder/shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr.
The other is re-signing first baseman/designated hitter Pete Alonso, who is expected to sign a deal with a rough annual average value of $30 million over five-plus years.
“The obvious need now is to add a big bat to the outfield. The only two free agents who fill that need are Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger, and if the Mets don’t get one of them, then trading Nimmo may not be such a great idea after all,” Harper wrote.
“Unless Stearns has another trade up his sleeve. It’s hard to imagine he’d take on Fernando Tatis’ contract, which has another nine years remaining, but Tatis is still only 26, turning 27 in January, and Stearns has made his preference for youth pretty well known.
“In any case, Alonso has to be part of this equation as well. Nimmo still had value as an offensive player, and without him, Alonso’s middle-of-the-lineup production is now more vital than ever.”
While the Mets may have made a less-than-popular move on Sunday, it could just be setting up something bigger. We’ll see how Steve Cohen plays his hand after kicking off trade season with a doozy.