Lengthy after the crowds had dispersed and the lights had gone out at Citi Subject, Brandon Nimmo all the time remained, signing autographs in his idling automotive for anybody who requested.
For a decade, this was a daily prevalence. Followers may depend on Nimmo to signal hats, shirts, baseball playing cards and different gadgets, as a lot as they might depend on him to succeed in first base — all the time getting there with a full-out dash, by no means a trot, even when drawing a stroll. A child from Cheyenne, Wyoming, he knew that for a lot of, assembly knowledgeable athlete may encourage a lifetime of fandom.
Come this season, followers must go all the best way to Arlington, Texas, to search out Nimmo. In a surprising Sunday evening transfer, the Mets traded the outfielder to the Texas Rangers for veteran second baseman Marcus Semien.
“These are always tough decisions. This was not easy,” Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns mentioned Monday. “Everyone here thinks very highly of Brandon, but in order to create the type of sustainable championship-caliber play that we seek to have here at times, these types of decisions are necessary.”
Stearns has been emphatic in his want for higher protection shifting ahead. Semien, a Gold Glove-winning second baseman, actually offers robust protection, even at 35 years outdated. Within the close to time period, utility man Jeff McNeil, the Mets’ major second baseman since 2019, will transfer across the diamond extra, enjoying left subject and probably even first base, in accordance with Stearns. The 2 spoke concerning the transfer, with McNeil assuring the manager he desires to be a part of what the Mets are constructing.
Within the long-term, the Mets have cleared spots for rising younger outfield prospects like Carson Benge and Ryan Clifford. Nimmo has 5 years left on his contract and proper fielder Juan Soto has 14, so there’s a clearer path ahead for the prospects with Nimmo in Texas.
Within the the short-term, nevertheless, it’s a raffle.
Buying and selling a fan-favorite who additionally held a key management position within the clubhouse is the type of transfer that may be achieved solely when an govt like Stearns takes his feelings out of the equation. It’s simply enterprise, they are saying, nothing private. The underside line is that profitable is nice for enterprise, and the Mets, coming off a spectacularly disappointing season, try to win a World Collection.
However ignoring relationships can generally be dangerous enterprise. Stearns is aware of that if this doesn’t work out, he’ll must put on it.
Stearns needed to put on it in 2022 when, as the pinnacle of baseball operations for the Milwaukee Brewers, he traded All-Star nearer Josh Hader to the San Diego Padres. On the time of the midseason commerce, the Brewers had a three-game lead within the NL Central, however after, they went 29-31 to overlook the postseason. He tried to steadiness the current and the longer term, succeeding solely on the second half through the use of the prospects from San Diego to accumulate expertise that winter.
“It had a more pronounced impact than I thought it would at the time,” Stearns mentioned after the 2022 season. “The surrounding moves didn’t adequately fortify the team in Josh’s absence.”
As soon as once more, Stearns is attempting to steadiness the short- and long-term outlook of the Mets.
“They had made it apparent that they felt like the best way to move forward for the Mets was this trade,” Nimmo instructed Dallas-area reporters on a Zoom name.
Stearns traded away a 25-homer participant for a man who’s three years older and hit .230 final season. The Mets have already got too many younger infielders, together with one who profiles equally to Semien. Luisangel Acuña is a glove-first infielder who bats right-handed, however doesn’t provide a lot offensively.
The one method this works within the close to future is that if the Mets can get a reliable bat to exchange Nimmo. If the Mets let Pete Alonso stroll, they’ll have much more offense they’ll want to exchange. Stopping runs is essential, however you may’t win video games with out scoring them. In the mean time, there’s a reliable query as to the place the runs are going to come back from.
The management will proceed to come back from shortstop Francisco Lindor, and his new double-play accomplice Semien will possible add to that. A captain in Texas, Semien is a well-respected clubhouse determine who was an influential a part of the Rangers’ 2023 World Collection group.
“He’s a winner,” Stearns mentioned. “He brings a winning drive and determination that we think is going to fit well in our clubhouse.”
He has to. In any other case, the failure is on Stearns.
Cedric Mullins got here to the Mets from the Baltimore Orioles on the commerce deadline with a popularity as a clubhouse chief as nicely, and but that commerce was a flop. Semien, who grew up in and round San Francisco, got here up with the Chicago White Sox earlier than spending a lot of his profession with the Oakland A’s. No disrespect to Northern California, the place I grew up, or to Texas, the place sports activities are virtually a faith, however enjoying within the shadow of the Giants and the Cowboys is far totally different than enjoying for almost any group in New York.
Nimmo knew the way to play in New York. The Mets didn’t must query it.
“Once we got into the offseason and had the time to fully reflect on our team is when I became convinced that we weren’t just going to run it back — that we were going to make some changes,” Stearns mentioned Monday. “You never know. You’re never sure which changes are actually going to occur, which changes are actually going to be possible, and that’s still the case as we move forward.”
Possibly Stearns’ hard-hearted gamble pays off. Possibly it makes additional strikes attainable. Then once more, Stearns’ Mets thought they’d solutions to their questions a 12 months in the past, solely to be confirmed flawed in September.
