Outfielder Brandon Nimmo has featured just for the New York Mets since he made his MLB debut in 2016 and, thus, is aware of loads about what the group was earlier than proprietor Steve Cohen and staff president of baseball operations David Stearns have been working issues.
Shortly after the Mets landed famous person Juan Soto by way of a 15-year, $765M contract that might exceed $800M whole, Nimmo reached out to Cohen and Stearns relating to the historic settlement.
“I knew that David and Steve have been doing no matter they may to carry him right here,” Nimmo mentioned about Soto throughout a chat with Mike Puma of the New York Put up. “When the information lastly broke, simply excessive jubilation. I despatched textual content messages to [Stearns and Cohen] and mentioned, ‘I can’t thanks sufficient for bringing him right here.'”
Nimmo was with the Mets in January 2019 when, per Puma, then-team COO Jeff Wilpon mentioned he did not “know what number of groups have two $30M gamers” whereas explaining why the membership did not pursue Bryce Harper and Manny Machado. To match, Cohen hasn’t shied away from routinely splashing money to amass and re-sign noteworthy stars since he assumed possession of the Mets within the fall of 2020.
Cohen signed shortstop Francisco Lindor to a 10-year contract extension that could possibly be price as much as $341M within the spring of 2021 and later locked Nimmo down by way of an eight-year deal reportedly price $162M in December 2022. Extra not too long ago, Cohen paid off parts of contracts so the Mets might execute a wanted hearth sale in the summertime of 2023.
Final offseason, Cohen trusted Stearns to make what have been seen on the time as underwhelming acquisitions. The Mets then accomplished a visit to this 12 months’s Nationwide League Championship Collection.
“It’s superb how [Cohen] has modified issues for Mets followers, Mets gamers and this group,” Nimmo mentioned. “It’s only a pivotal second in his possession and the historical past of the Mets franchise that he’s capable of get a participant away from the Yankees and a man in his prime. Even after I was rising up, the Yankees all the time bought the perfect gamers, they all the time purchased the perfect gamers. It was only a common-known reality, and now you see one thing right here the place the Mets have been capable of carry [Soto] over. It’s a change to the way in which issues have all the time been. I undoubtedly assume it’s candy to have completed it this fashion.”
Yankees proprietor Hal Steinbrenner provided Soto a 16-year, $760M deal and seemingly believed the 26-year-old would care extra concerning the storied franchise’s historical past and custom than about issues equivalent to a free suite for members of the family together with different perks. Steinbrenner was incorrect, and one cannot blame Mets gamers equivalent to Nimmo for having fun with some victory laps forward of Christmas.
