Inside The Mets

Mets' Brandon Nimmo Reveals His Role in Recruiting Juan Soto

New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo made his presence felt in bringing Juan Soto to Queens.
Grant Young|
Oct 13, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo (9) takes the field before game one of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Oct 13, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo (9) takes the field before game one of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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New York MetsNew York Yankees

December 12 was a day to remember for New York Mets fans, as it marked the first time they saw superstar slugger Juan Soto donning a Mets hat and the No. 22 jersey he'll be wearing for the next 15 seasons during his introductory press conference.

One aspect of the press conference that struck many baseball fans was that Soto said he hadn't spoken to any of his former New York Yankees teammates since their 2024 season ended.

“I haven’t talked to any of those guys," Soto said of Yankees players, per an X post from SNY. "We talked to them through the playoffs, at the end of the playoffs. But after I [had] this process, I haven’t talked to anyone [on the Yankees].”

The same can't be said for members of the New York Mets — which Mike Puma conveyed in a December 12 article from the New York Post.

"Early in the offseason, [Mets outfielder Brandon] Nimmo said he spoke with Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns and was told the Mets would heavily pursue Soto," Puma wrote.

"Nimmo — who, like Soto, is represented by Scott Boras — said he obtained Soto’s phone number several weeks ago and texted him.

"Nimmo said he relayed to Soto that his experience with the team has been 'amazing,' and he wanted Soto as his teammate," Puma continued.

“'I knew that David and Steve were doing whatever they could to bring him here,'” Nimmo is quoted saying in the article. “'When the news finally broke, just extreme jubilation. I sent text messages to [Stearns and Cohen] and said, ‘I can’t thank you enough for bringing him here.’'”

Nimmo has earned a reputation for being one of the nicest, most genuine players in all of baseball. And perhaps being around someone like that helped convince Soto that Queens was the right place for him.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Mets and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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