Mets outfielder Brandon Nemo They agree a deal that will take him back to Queens. It would make $162 million over eight years, with an average annual value of $20.25 million. He will have a no-trade clause. Nemo is represented by Boras Company.
Nemo, March 30 Most observers consider him the No. 2 best defensive player in the free agent market this winter, far behind him. Aaron Judge But also ahead of everyone else. Nimmo is nowhere near Judge in terms of power, having only had 63 home runs in his seven-year career, while Judge hit 62 in 2022 alone.
Despite this lack of power, Nimmo stood out from the rest of the players in the market for several reasons. One is his ability to play center field and the second is his ability to get to base. For his career, which began in 2016, he had a walk average of 13.6% and 0.385 percent on a percentage basis. Only 17 eligible hitters have a better walk average at that time while only seven have a better OBP. His career hitting streak is currently .269/.385/.441, resulting in 134 wRC+, indicating that he was 34% better than the league batting average.
This level of production would be welcome in any position but is especially valuable in the position field, where many teams are looking for promotions. Nimmo was unsurprisingly popular as a free agent, receiving public interest from the Blue Jays, Giants, Yankees, Rays, and Mariners, with others interested as well. But it will be the Mets, the franchise that drafted Nimmo 13th overall in 2011, to keep him. Even before the offseason really began, it was mentioned that the Mets were prioritizing keeping Nimmo and closer Edwin DiazThey have now succeeded on both fronts.
The deal is not without risks, however, as Nemo has spent his share of time on the injured list. In his career, he landed at IL due to a hamstring strain, collapsed lung, neck trouble and a bruised finger. Because of these various ailments, he has only twice lost 100 games in a season. Most of those injuries are from a few years in the past at this point, as Nemo has stayed healthy in the shortened 2020 season, playing 92 games in 2021 and then 151 games this year. This means that he has been healthy for the vast majority of the past three seasons. However, this deal exceeded expectations in terms of length and warranty. MLBTR signed a five-year, $110 million deal, but Nemo got three more years and an additional $52 million, meaning that deal would take him to his 37-year-old season.
But the Mets are clearly “winning now” as the team can get him and he likely won’t bother himself with the final years of the deal for now. Owner Steve Cohen, who just bought the club at the end of the 2020 season, has shown he’s willing to beat past spending limits shown by the Mets or anyone else. The Mets have never had an opening day payroll that reached $160 million in pre-Cohen history, in every Cradle baseball contracts. But they rose to $195 million in 2021 and $264 million last season. Cohen had previously hinted at a $300 million limit for 2022 New York Post But that number is now well in the rearview mirror.
Deals of the day for Nimmo and the Savior David Robertson Raising the Mets payroll for next season to $322 million, according to accounts list resource. In terms of competitive credit tax, which uses average annual values for contracts rather than just 2023 salaries, it’s $335 million. This means that they are incredibly more than $100 million behind the minimum cash transfers estimated at $233 million. There are also three more tiers of luxury tax payments, going up $20 million increments to end at $293 million, with the Mets now increasing more than $40 million above that higher level.
CBT also has escalating penalties for crossing the line in back-to-back seasons, making sure the Mets will be a second drive. They will pay 30% on spending above the first level, 42% on the second level, 75% on the third level, and 90% on the fourth level. This means that about $67 million in tax is currently due, on top of a payroll of $322 million. It is also possible that it is not finished, ie Andy Martino from SNY Reports they can still sign Kodai Singaeven after the Nimmo deal.
It seems we really don’t know how far Cohen and General Manager Billy Epler are willing to go in their endeavors to build the best baseball team possible. The massive outlay produced mixed results in 2022, as the club won 101 games, the second-highest win total in franchise history. However, Atlanta snuck up and pushed the Mets aside for the division crown in the National League East, which then led to the Mets falling to the Padres in the first round of the playoffs.
For 2023, the Mets were seriously challenged to replicate that performance. They had a huge freelance client class that included Nemo, Diaz, Jacob DeGrumAnd the Taeguan WalkerAnd the Chris Bassett And a whole bunch of painkillers. However, they’ve given up on all attempts to come back to the running back for another shot next year. DeGrume signed Walker elsewhere, but the Mets did Justin Verlander And the Jose Quintana To replace them, in addition to retaining Diaz and Nemo.
Nimmo will now return to his field position in Queens, lined up Starling Mart And the Mark Kanha. The split will be fascinating to watch, as the Phillies continued their journey to a World Series by spending aggressively on Walker and Tria Turnerwhile Atlanta is still loaded with all of its young stars locked in long stretches.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post first reported on the details of the contract (Twitter links).
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
