Report: Brandon Nimmo Open To Extension Talks With Mets
With the 2021 season nearing a close for the Mets, Brandon Nimmo will be entering the final year of his deal with the team next year.
For Nimmo, the Mets are the only organization he has known in his professional career, given they drafted him No. 11 overall in the 2011 MLB draft at the young age of 18-years-old.
And while Nimmo fully understands the Mets have a long list of tasks to address this offseason, he still wouldn't mind if they approached him about his contract situation.
"Of course, of course. I’m definitely open to extension talks," Nimmo told Newsday. "Nothing has come my way. None of that has been talked about . . . If those talks come about, I’ll definitely be open to it.
"I hope it’s not foreign knowledge to the team that this is the team that I grew up on, this is all I know and I’ve enjoyed being here," he said. "So I have no problem with staying long-term. But that’s a two-way decision and they have to feel the same way."
Although a potential long-term extension for Nimmo isn't necessarily high on the Mets' priority list right now, he has made tremendous strides as a center fielder this season, despite being a liability defensively in 2020 when he initially made the difficult transition from being a corner outfielder.
However, while Nimmo's impact as a leadoff hitter - as well as his astounding ability to get on-base (.400 OBP since the beginning of 2018) - has shown he is a more than capable piece in the long-run, he must still prove he can stay healthy.
Nimmo spent two separate stints on the injured list this season due to a hand/finger issue, and a hamstring strain. The hand injury was a slight tear near the base of his index finger, which kept him out for two months.
Unfortunately, this injury riddled campaign isn't an outlier for Nimmo, who missed a large portion of 2019 - the last full season of baseball (before this year) prior to the pandemic - with a neck injury.
Regardless, the Mets already have one home grown outfielder in Michael Conforto, who is destined to leave the nest, even if he stays another year, should he receive the qualifying offer this winter or not.
If Conforto walks this offseason, or after next season, it ultimately paves the way for the Mets to retain their spark plug of a leadoff hitter for the foreseeable future in Nimmo.
While Nimmo's contract extension will likely be put on the back burner, given the Mets already have to make tough decisions on what to do with Conforto, Javier Báez, Marcus Stroman, Noah Syndergaard and Aaron Loup, who are all set to hit the free agent market this November, this doesn't mean they won't consider locking up Nimmo at some point, if/when he becomes a free agent.
Added Responsibility
Speaking of Conforto, who is currently the Mets' union representative, if he does wind up leaving the team, Nimmo is the alternate rep and will likely take over this potential vacancy should it become available.
This possible added responsibility couldn't come at a more important time, as MLB and the MLB Players Association are set to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement this offseason.
Unsurprisingly, CBA talks are expected to be extensive and stressful. And Nimmo and his fellow reps around the league will be in charge of being the middle men between the union and their teammates in order to keep everyone in the loop.
This will be a similar process to when baseball endured their long and drawn out talks on how to conduct a COVID-shortened 2020 season. And as most will remember, that wasn't easy.
Luckily, Nimmo received vast experience in a similar area, alongside Conforto, while these negotiations occurred last year.
And if Conforto stays or not, Francisco Lindor is on the MLBPA's executive subcommittee, which means he will be by Nimmo's side.
"Everything that happens here affects myself and the next generation coming up," Nimmo said. "I’ve been very fortunate to be a part of the fruits of the labor of generations before me. So I want to try to leave things better than where I received them. So that’s the way I see it. And the way to do that is to be involved."
Whether Nimmo is truly ready to take on a larger leadership role remains to be seen. But one of his teammates believes he is more than capable.
"They’ll be in great hands," Conforto told Newsday, "with Nimmo."
