The New York Mets have been moving quickly this off-season. The latest news involves center fielder Brandon Nimmo and relief pitcher David Robertson. 

Nimmo has been one of the best center fielders in all of MLB, resulting in many teams having an interest in him as a free agent. The team announced that he will be returning to Queens on an 8-year, $162 million dollar contract with an AAV of $20.3 million, most likely making him a Met for life. 

The Mets drafted Nimmo in the first round and the 13th overall pick in the 2011 draft. 

What made Nimmo so special is that he is from Wyoming. Nimmo has openly spoken about being incredibly thankful that the Mets took a chance on him. Nimmo was ranked among the Top 50 prospects and became the highest-drafted Wyomingite in all MLB history. 

On June 25, 2016, Nimmo was promoted to the big leagues at 23 years old. Nimmo’s services were needed due to Michael Conforto slumping into a .130 batting average since the first of May. He made a total of 32 game appearances with 73 at-bats. 

Nimmo suffered from injuries in almost every season, excluding the 2018 and 2022 seasons in which he remained healthy for the majority of the season. Considering Nimmo’s injury history, some fans were hesitant to sign him, especially on a long-term deal. During the 2019 off-season, there was some buzz about trading J.D. Davis and Nimmo, along with some prospects in return for Starling Marte. If you were to tell a Met fan in 2019 that we have both Nimmo and Marte, they would be ecstatic. 

If Steve Cohen didn’t sign Nimmo the Mets would have to get creative. Unless you signed Aaron Judge you wouldn’t be upgrading your 2023 roster. Otherwise, there was some talk of bringing back Michael Conforto and shifting Marte to center. Shifting Marte to center would be questionable taking into account that he is getting older and more prone to injuries.

As for Nimmo’s 2022 stats he finished off the 2022 season with 16 home runs, 64 RBI’S, a .274 batting average, and .433 slugging. 

Besides his impeccable defense, which continues to improve year after year, Nimmo did an amazing job in the lead-off position. When you think of Nimmo’s season there is one moment that stands out. On August 31st the Mets faced off against The LA Dodgers. It was a tight game, in the bottom of the 7th, with Jacob deGrom on the mound, Justin Turner sent one deep to center field, but not deep enough for Brandon Nimmo. With no time to plan his jump against the wall, he managed to time it perfectly while “blindly” reaching his arm out and coming back down with the ball in his glove. Rather than doing what most players do after making a spectacular catch, that being taking the ball out of your glove to show the fans, Nimmo instead pumped his fist in the air as deGrom raised his arms up with a smile from ear to ear. 

As Nimmo said, “This organization, the Cohens, and Billy [Eppler] have made it clear that the goal is to win,” also stating “That’s a big reason why we decided to stick around.” He made it quite clear that he loves being a New York Met.

Shortly after re-signing Nimmo, they re-visited who they were interested in at the trade deadline but failed to land in David Robertson, signing him on a 1 year, $10 million dollar deal. Robertson spent the majority of his career on the other side of town as a Yankee. Prior to being traded to the Phillies this past trade deadline, he was on the Chicago Cubs.

Essentially, Robertson is Adam Ottavino 2.0, in hope that he can be a reliable guy to set up Edwin Díaz and in addition in situations where Díaz isn’t available. 

The veteran right-hander is now 37 years old and spoke openly about the Mets being the right fit for him. “They want to win,” Robertson said. “I want to win. I am not getting any younger. I want to be on a team that wants to win, I want to be in a competitive city in a good market and that is what the New York Mets have to offer.”

Robertson had a total of 20 saves last season between the Cubs and Phillies. With the Cubs, he posted a 2.23 ERA as well as 1.04 WHIP, and with the Phillies a 2.70 ERA along with a 1.37 WHIP.

Needless to say, Robertson is just the arm the Mets needed in their bullpen to back up Díaz. Steve Cohen is showing the other owners he is not afraid to spend a lot of money. He wants to win and he wants to win now.