New York Mets Considering Possible Brandon Nimmo Replacement
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The Mets must prepare themselves in case they lose free agent center fielder Brandon Nimmo. And it sounds like they're already thinking about possible replacements.
According to Jon Heyman of The New York Post, the Mets "will consider" Kevin Kiermaier if they lose Nimmo.
Kiermaier, who has spent his entire 10-year career with the Tampa Bay Rays, is known for being a defensive whiz in center field. However, he is a downgrade offensively from Nimmo, posting a .649 OPS in 2022.
Should the Mets lose Nimmo and sign Kiermaier, they could still add another outfielder in Andrew Benintendi, who they're currently pursuing.
This would allow Benintendi, Starling Marte and Mark Canha to rotate between the corner outfield spots and DH. This would also make Daniel Vogelbach and Darin Ruf either bench pieces or trade chips.
The Mets are still talking to Nimmo, whose market is said to be "robust," as one sourced described. There are believed to be at least 8-10 teams that are in on Nimmo.
So, if the Mets lose their guy, they will consider Kiermaier, a defense-first center fielder. But this won't solve the hole that would be left in the lineup without Nimmo's bat.
The loss of Nimmo would make things complicated, as the Mets would likely have to add two position players to fill this void.
Read More:
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- Mets Pursuing ex-Yankees, Red Sox All-Star Outfielder
- Mets Sign Justin Verlander to Mega Contract
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