The New York Mets traded outfielder Brandon Nimmo to acquire second baseman Marcus Semien on Sunday, creating a clear opening in their outfield.
The 1-for-1 veteran swap has folks wondering what comes next.
That’s where Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger come in. The Mets seem positioned to make a serious run at one of the offseason’s top free agent outfielders.
MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand thinks this move makes their intentions pretty clear:
“Trading Nimmo certainly creates a vacancy in the Mets’ outfield, and given that the widespread belief was that they were already planning on making a push for Tucker and/or Bellinger, this deal makes it all but certain that they will try to sign one of those two outfielders.”
It’s hard to argue with that logic. You don’t trade away your starting center fielder without a plan to replace him.
And if there’s one owner who can make it happen, it’s Steve Cohen. He’s already shown he’ll spend whatever it takes, most recently with the Juan Soto signing last offseason.
Landing the winter’s most expensive free agent two years running would be quite the statement. But that’s exactly the kind of move Cohen’s made his calling card.
The Bellinger route offers its own appeal – snagging another talented Yankees free agent for the second consecutive winter.
Either Tucker or Bellinger would represent an upgrade over Nimmo’s production. Adding one of them while also bringing Semien’s veteran presence to the infield gives the Mets a real shot at bouncing back from last season’s late collapse.
Now it’s just a matter of which direction they go. With Cohen’s checkbook backing them, the Mets seem positioned to land their guy.
