Is Brandon Nimmo Really That Good?

If there's one thing I can say about the New York Mets, they know how to make things interesting. It was announced on Monday that the Pittsburgh Pirates had traded Andrew McCutchen to the San Francisco Giants. Before that the Mets had made the move to ink Jay Bruce to a three year contract. What does this have to do with the man pictured above, Brandon Nimmo? Well the signing of Bruce, it is being reported, is an option that the Mets decided to go with instead of trading Nimmo to the Pirates for Andrew McCutchen.

You did read that correctly. According to MLB insider Ken Rosenthal, the Mets had a chance to land Andrew McCutchen in a trade, all they had to do was put Brandon Nimmo in the deal. They didn't do it and McCutchen is now a member of the Giants. Also, Rosenthal notes that while the Mets could still use Nimmo as the centerpiece for a Josh Harrison trade, their reluctance to trade him for one year of McCutchen could speak to a grander philosophy, in which they'd rather spend money on free agents than deal young talent.

To a degree this kind of makes sense. I'll give credit where its due, the Mets Outfielder knows how to be able to get on base and work counts, at least from every indication I've read. The numbers back that up, as is evident of his .379 on-base percentage and 15.3 walk percentage, the latter ranked 10th in baseball among all players with 200 or more plate appearances. But here also lies the downside, he sits 4th on the Mets depth chart in the outfield behind Jay Bruce, Yoenis Cespedes and Michael Conforto (although Conforto will miss the first month of the season recovering from shoulder surgery). You still do have Matt Reynolds and Juan Lagares on the team, but the Mets do see a bright future for Nimmo here in New York.

The way it sits right now, New York does need more infield help then it does in the outfield. Now don't get me wrong, I like what I've seen from Nimmo, but not enough yet to warrant hanging on to him. There;'s not much really sitting there on the free agent market, as most of the moves being made to aquire players are through trades. It has also been noted by several insider and reporters that the Mets have shown interest in Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Josh Harrison. Harrison has said that he does want to be possibly traded too. So you have something right there you could work off of. Harrison can play both at second and third, both spots on the field the Mets have been looking to fill. Not only that, but Josh Harrison would be here for a long time, unlike McCutchen who's slated to be a free agent at the end of this upcoming season.

So as much as I like Nimmo, I think if the Mets can actually stick a crowbar in their wallet and actually make a move, this would be the one to make. If you really want to show this fan base that you want to be a winning team and keep the fans happy and coming back, then pull the trigger and make a move.