Brandon Nimmo in demand this offseason, note several MLB Insiders
There's little about New York Mets centerfielder Brandon Nimmo that screams "superstar" in the mind of most baseball fans. Nimmo is a solid professional. However, he has never been to an All-Star Game. His name is seldom mentioned among the game's greats. However, the free agent is being courted like a player with a much greater reputation this offseason.
In real estate, it is often noted that "location is everything." In free agency, it often said that "timing is everything." While there is headline talent available in this free agent market, the pool of available centerfielders is tremendously thin, thus increasing the value of players like Brandon Nimmo.
What is Brandon Nimmo's value in this free agency class?
@jaysonst, @Feinsand and BK discuss the 29-year-old's cost against other outfielders in the open market. https://t.co/bZGO0nvYpE
What is Brandon Nimmo's value in this free agency class? - @MLBNow
That's not to say Nimmo does not have a wealth of admirers throughout the major leagues. A seven-year MLB veteran, he is a solid defender in centerfield and hit .274 with career-best 102 runs scored as the Mets' primary leadoff hitter in 2022.
Gauging the value of Brandon Nimmo
"This guy is a good player," MLB Insider Jayson Stark said on MLB Network Nov. 23. "In fact, I think he is a better player than people think."
Stark and fellow insider Mark Feinsand discussed Brandon Nimmo's market value during an episode of "MLB Now" on MLB Network. Stark noted that Nimmo's on-base percentage (OBP) and on-base/slugging percentage (OPS) rank among the top tier of players since Nimmo broke into the majors in 2016.
"It's a bunch of stars," Stark said. "Trout, Soto, Freeman, Votto, Judge, Harper, and Nimmo ... on-base has never been more valuable than it is right now."
Brandon Nimmo's career OBP and OPS numbers are .385 and .827, respectively. Last season, he had a .367 OBP and .800 OBP.
However, Nimmo has played in over half of the Mets' games in just three of his seven major league seasons. He set new career highs in both games played (151) and at-bats (580) in 2022. Only in 2018, 2021, and 2022 has Nimmo taken the field in more than 69 games. He's taken the field 140 times in 2018 and 92 times in 2021.
Rays Interested In Brandon Nimmo mlbtraderumors.com/2022/11/rays-i… https://t.co/CzXbWm4A2T
Rays Interested In Brandon Nimmo - @mlbtraderumors
Brandon Nimmo's results, potentially intriguing to a number of teams
MLB Insider Jon Heyman lists the Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays, and Texas Rangers as, at least, three teams in need of a center fielder/leadoff hitter that will attempt to thwart the Mets' hopes of retaining Nimmo.
Major League Baseball Trade Rumors projects Nimmo, who is represented by agent Scott Boras, to land a five-year, $110 million contract this winter.
“You are looking at a guy that there are no center fielders in our game that are available,” Boras told the New York Post. “And then you add leadoff to that and then you add … on-base percentage to that, and he’s an excellent defender and then also he can play in New York. When you have those elements that are there, he becomes a very integral part of what we found for a team to win 100 games. He’s a very proven commodity and there are very few that can replace him.”