It was reported recently that the Mets are making outfielder Brandon Nimmo available in trade talks. Andy Martino of SNY characterizes those talks as preliminary, noting that Nimmo and his representatives have not yet been asked about the possibility of waiving his full no-trade clause.
It appears that the Mets have a few moving pieces in their early offseason planning. There have also been rumors about infielder/outfielder Jeff McNeil and right-hander Kodai Senga being available in trades. Today, reporting from Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic notes that the Mets may need to trade from their roster before targeting other pursuits.
The piece mentions that this is both due to the roster fit and the financial picture, though the money is presumably not that big of an issue. Under owner Steve Cohen, the Mets have been one of the top-spending clubs in baseball. RosterResource currently projects them for a $253MM payroll and $256MM competitive balance tax figure in 2026. At the end of 2025, those numbers were $340MM and $337MM. Even without moving money away, there should be powder dry for additions.
The roster situation is a bit more interesting. The piece mentions Kyle Tucker, Cody Bellinger and Alex Bregman as completely speculative names that the Mets could pursue, depending on how their trade talks go. Currently, there’s not a great path to getting Tucker onto the roster, with the Mets having Nimmo and Juan Soto in the corners. The designated hitter spot is open and could make it more viable to have all three in the lineup regularly, but the fit would be much easier if Nimmo were moved.
It would be a somewhat similar situation with Bellinger, who the Mets have already been connected to. He’s a bit of a better fit than Tucker since he can play center field and first base, but he’s spent more time in the outfield corners than anywhere else in recent seasons.
With Bregman, there are the many unanswered questions of the Mets infield. Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, Ronny Mauricio and Luisangel Acuña have all been jockeying for playing time in recent years. Since all of them can play multiple infield positions, there are many possible combinations. The ideal arrangement would depend upon if Pete Alonso comes back, if the Mets sign someone like Bregman or Munetaka Murakami, and so on. There’s also the McNeil factor, as he has mostly played second base and the outfield corners. He has dabbled at third but hasn’t played there since 2022. He played some center field in 2025 but didn’t get great marks for his work out there.
When considering the names currently on the roster, the guys who could be traded away and the guys who could be added, there are infinite possibilities for how it ends up. Based on the reporting, it appears the Mets are using the early parts of the offseason to explore those possibilities. If they can line up a trade they like, perhaps they would then pivot to replacing a traded player by pursuing a free agent. If the roster ends up with more continuity, then perhaps they get less ambitious with their free agent pursuits. If they make any traction, then perhaps Nimmo will be approached about his no-trade clause, but it seems things are still very theoretical at the moment.
One way or another, the Mets are sure to be on the lookout for relievers. They’ve already been connected to Devin Williams. Francys Romero of BeisbolFR reports that the Mets were interested in Raisel Iglesias before he re-signed with Atlanta last night.
Mets relievers had a collective 3.93 earned run average last year, which placed them 15th out of the 30 clubs in the majors. After the season, Edwin Díaz opted out of his contract and became a free agent at season’s end. Tyler Rogers, Ryan Helsley, Gregory Soto and Ryne Stanek also departed for the open market.
Given their needs in the bullpen, the Mets will probably be connected to just about every available reliever. They have the resources to go after top guys like Díaz and president of baseball operations has also shown a penchant for getting creative in targeting lower-cost additions.
Photo courtesy of Bill Streicher, Imagn Images
It’s always cool to see someone’s Batting Average on the season match their career Average.
It’s always cool to see a team spend 340 million or whatever and miss the playoffs so the spending equals winning people look foolish.
You would think the team with the highest payroll would have a more complete roster. The Mets tried to hotshot their way to quick World Series title rather than organically growing as a team into a playoff contender and then using their owners deep pockets to keep the band together. Now there’s no room to grow without spending further into the luxury tax.
“The Mets tried to hotshot their way to quick World Series title rather than organically growing as a team”
When did they do that?
“Now there’s no room to grow without spending further into the luxury tax.”
What??
lmao what an absolute crashout. Are you OK, dude? @vaderzim made a fun post and you flew ingo a rage. What did the Mets do to you? Also:
“so the spending equals winning people look foolish.”
Remind us who has won the WS the last two years. Last year’s NLCS was Mets-Dodgers. Last year’s WS was Yankees-Dodgers. This year was Blue Jays-Dodgers. But please go on about how you think spending somehow doesn’t mean you win more.
Mets can have Weaver and Williams. They will probably make them into a starting pitchers as well. The Mets can save Skubal and Skenes for the Yankees.
That’s the way to look at it!
Sadly I do think the Mets have the more desirable pieces to make a trade for one of those guys. A coulple of the young pitchers plus a Nimmo and like a Baty? Yeah that would get it done. Yanks don’t have a Nimmo type they’d want to trade and are tighter with their prospects under Cashman.
Can we get Frazier and Andujar, too?
the only way mets find trade partner for nimmo is if they take on most of his (bloated) contract.
who the hell is gonna take mcneil or senga at this point? maybe for a 12 pack of coors lite and a prospect in single A.
mets are living in lala land. eat more $, spend more $, finish at .500 again
Astros would happily swap Walker for either Senga or McNeil.
Senna yes but McNeil? I understand you only want Altuve to DH but you should be looking higher than McNeil. That said, should Alonso actually sign elsewhere which I don’t expect, the trade proposal has merit assuming the Mets don’t pivot to the imports. Personally, I think you’re giving up on Walker too soon.
Walker has a higher ceiling but McNeil has the higher floor and is a much better roster fit. I wouldn’t normally be so quick to give up on Walker but the reality of our roster construction is that we have a group with a bad combination of defensive limitations so the guy who’s overpaid and who’s only position is 1B is the one who needs to go. And McNeil plays a solid 2B and a high contact lefty with good plate discipline is exactly what we need in the bottom of our lineup.
You don’t want to trade this guy. They need him.
Walker? No they need to clear 1B for Paredes and recoup as much value as they can for Walker.
Injuries happen and why sell low on Walker? It’s only two years and I see a rebound in 26.
Because we have bigger needs and his money is better spent elsewhere. And as it stands we have no clear way of putting our 9 best players on the field at the same time.
Dewey you think a 35-36 year old is going to have a bounce back season? His numbers have been trending downwards every season. The glide path to insustainability is well entrenched. (Except I thought that about George Springer too and he hit a 3-run bomb to send my team packing in a Game 7, so I should be more careful in my pronouncements).
They don’t need him if they get both Tucker and Bellinger. $$$$$$
I’m confused, who are you replying to? Astros aren’t getting Bellinger or Tucker.
Can someone explain why he has a sledgehammer
He wanted to go even harder than the torpedo bat
Yes. Doing renovations at home and picked up the wrong work tool on the way out ?
Trying to get HHH’s attention for the next time WWE is at MSG.
Works for a demolition crew during lockouts? Obviously a foreman with a hard hat like that
“Currently, there’s not a great path to getting Tucker onto the roster, with the Mets having Nimmo and Juan Soto in the corners..”
So Nimmo is stopping the Mets from getting Tucker? What???
I don’t see how that’s true, they have a gaping hole at DH. Could easily rotate them and give each of them 50 or so starts at DH.
You can’t have 3 left handed hitting OF that play everyday and not one that plays CF. It’s really not that hard to understand. You can’t just take the 9 best hitters and say play this position fans just think guys can learn how to play certain positions and the team won’t suffer.
The Mets are the epitome of “restless, irritable & discontented”. Nimo is a good ball player and you want to get rid of him? One of the best power hitters in the game, Alonzo, wants to get paid what he’s worth and you whine? Oh but they’ll pay Francisco Lindor $40 million till he’s 80. Let’s not forget they’re paying Soto more than Ohtani is getting paid… enough said.
That’s why you have such a high payroll and didn’t even make the playoffs
Alonzo and Nimo?
Thank you teacher, I’ve always been a week speller
@ SomTeaver, on the topic of spelling, lol
“The Mets are the epitome of “restless, irritable & discontented”
What a bizarre thing to say. AFAIK the New York Mets are not in AA.
Also this is a a truly glib breakdown of the Mets financial state.
Lindor is paid $34.74 until he’s 37, not $40 mil until he’s 80.
Soto is paid more because he’s younger and we’re getting more “prime years”.
Also how hypocritical to criticize the Mets for not “paying one of the best power hitters in the game” … “what he’s worth” and then 1 sentence later whine about paying Soto what he’s worth.
You’re the one whining.
Lol, that’s what we’re here to do my friend! And that’s what you’re doing about me!
Additionally, the sarcasm is clear
I would be shocked to see the Mets run in back with the same group. Will be interesting to see who stays and who goes and what new players are added.
Nobody, I repeat nobody, will want to trade for Nimmo. Albatross contract the day it was signed. Everyone says Steve Cohen is so smart; I haven’t seen it yet.
Over the past three seasons, Nimmo has averaged 153 games, 3.0 bWAR/3.3 fWAR, 117 wRC+ playing league average defense. That doesn’t register as an albatross contract or even close to one.
So far so good I guess then. But it’s a long contract, with many years to go. I think when he signed it, it was as a center-fielder, then he quickly became not a CF anymore. In fact, I think he played quite a bit of DH last season. If his future is as a DH, not good.
He DH’ed in 4 games out of 155. Obviously, the drop-off in defense is not ideal but he’s not a liability in LF (-1 OAA, +4 DRS).
None of those things are relevant if he’s got a bad contract going forward and presumably past his prime. I don’t know his contract details going forward but what someone did 3 years ago doesn’t matter next year.
Hooray! Trade him.
Package him for Brandon Woodruff. Let’s get Tucker. Give Benge Mauricio Acuna Jett every opportunity in the spring.
Woodruff accepted the QO, he can’t be traded till June. Also of all team the Brewers would never take Nimmo’s contract.
Good. Trade him and then ask questions later…
Maybe they couldn’t find Nimmo.
If Nimmo doesn’t accept a trade the Mets have ready,they should move him to DH once Benge and Ewing are ready.