Former New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo offered extremely high praise for rookies Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing. The Mets will play the second game of their series against Nimmo's Texas Rangers . He also noted that his departures created an opening for a new era of Mets outfielders. That evaluation held significant importance throughout MLB. In essence, the trade that sent Nimmo to the Rangers for Marcus Semien kicked off the New York youth movement.
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Nimmo played 10 years in New York, hitting .262/.364/.802, with three 20-home-run seasons and an average WAR of 2.6. The Mets made the playoffs on multiple occasions and even made a run that culminated in an NLCS appearance. The quiet player from Cheyenne East High School in Wyoming made his name in baseball's biggest city on an immense stage. Then, the trade occurred. Nimmo, ever the veteran, understood the business of baseball, as his sit-down with Max Goodman of NJ.com attests .
"I honestly think that we just weren't thought of as the solution moving forward. I don't think we were blamed for what happened in the past; I think we were just thought of not as the solution going forward. So I tried to not read any more into that than that."
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Regardless of whether fans loved the move or not, the president of baseball operations, David Stearns , did what he thought he needed to do. In reality, the money favors New York. Nimmo still has four years and $82 million left on his contract, while Semien remains locked in for just two more seasons and north of $40 million. Stearns, often the subject of online fan ridicule, made the moves needed to free up space in the lineup while making the Mets younger and more athletic.
The Nimmo move wasn't the only one. The franchise allowed first baseman Pete Alonso and closer Edwin Diaz to walk. While Alonso enjoys a strong season with 108 runs batted in, he is currently playing for the Baltimore Orioles . On the other hand, Diaz struggles with the Los Angeles Dodgers due to injury and inconsistency.
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Once upon a time, Nimmo was the Mets' outfield centerpiece, a young player that the team needed to build around on the frass. Now, the veteran sees Benge and Ewing as players the team can build around.
"Benge seems like the real deal, man. What a great player all around. He broke Pete's [rookie franchise] record for hits. You do that in your rookie year; hats off to you. Been able to stay healthy. Ewing seems like he's got a lot of tools and seems like a great player. Obviously, playing center field is a really hard thing to do, and he's doing a great job of that. From what I've seen from the young guys they have over there, it seems like a really bright future."
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Benge looks, at least from the outset, like a cornerstone, a middle-of-the-order player with a power/speed potential. Also, he possesses Gold Glove ability, with not only a strong, accurate arm but also the range to cover groups while playing any position in the outfield.
Nimmo is gone, but he is still beloved in Queens. Yet he looks back on the franchise that drafted and developed him with pride and understands that baseball isn't static.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post 'Not the Solution': Ex-Mets OF Nimmo Reflects on Queens Exit appeared first on HEAVY .
