Mets Place Max Scherzer On 15-Day Injured List
10:12AM: Scherzer has been officially placed on the IL, retroactive to September 4.
8:58AM: The Mets are placing ace Max Scherzer on the 15-day injured list, manager Buck Showalter announced to reporters Wednesday morning (Twitter link via Newsday’s Tim Healey). The team is hopeful that he’ll return after a minimum stint on the shelf. Scherzer departed his most recent start due to “fatigue” in the same left oblique muscle he strained earlier in the season — an injury that kept him sidelined for nearly two months.
Scherzer, 38, has been sensational for the Mets when healthy enough to take the mound. The three-time Cy Young winner has logged a 2.26 ERA while striking out 30.6% of his opponents against just a 4.6% walk rate. He’s averaged 6 1/3 innings per outing, even with a pair of early exits due to an increasingly problematic left oblique. Scherzer had been slated to start this Friday in Miami.
The injury to Scherzer comes in conjunction with a sequence of brutal losses to the last-place Pirates and Nationals. The Mets have dropped three in row while watching the Braves cruise to six straight victories, culminating in the evaporation of what was once a whopping 10.5-game lead in the NL East for the Mets; the two teams are currently tied with identical 85-51 records.
Even with Scherzer sidelined, the Mets have a strong top four in the rotation, with Jacob deGrom, Carlos Carrasco, Chris Bassitt and Taijuan Walker all active. Walker has struggled of late, with a 6.25 ERA since the All-Star break, although the majority of the damage against him came in one appearance: an eight-run meltdown against Atlanta. Both David Peterson and Trevor Williams are stretched out enough to make starts in place of Scherzer. Peterson started for the Mets both on Aug. 27 and Sept. 2, working a combined 11 1/3 innings, so he’d certainly be an option to step in for Scherzer on Friday against the Marlins.
Mets Notes: Carrasco, Medina, Scherzer
The Mets will welcome Carlos Carrasco back from the 15-day injured list today, with the veteran righty being activated to start against the Nationals. Right-hander Adonis Medina was optioned to Triple-A to open up a spot for Carrasco on the active roster.
Carrasco hasn’t pitched since August 15 due to a left oblique strain, though fortunately for both the right-hander and the Mets, it was a lower-grade oblique issue. Rather than a season-threatening injury, Carrasco is now back after just shy of three weeks on the sidelines, and ready to help the Mets in their bid for the NL East title. Though the injury wasn’t overly serious, it did have some notable ramifications on Carrasco’s contract, as he now won’t be able to reach the 170 innings necessary to turn the Mets’ $14MM club option for 2023 into a guaranteed year.
However, it is also quite possible the Mets will end up exercising that option anyway, given how solid Carrasco has been this year. After his first season in New York was marred by injuries, Carrasco has rebounded to post a 3.92 ERA/3.60 SIERA over 126 1/3 innings in 2022. While his hard-contact numbers are middling and Carrasco has been hampered by a .330 BABIP, he has posted above-average strikeout and walk rates. As has often been the case throughout his career, Carrasco also still has one of the best chase rates of any pitcher in baseball.
The Mets have an 85-49 record despite playing virtually the entire season without their first-choice rotation, and that trend might be in danger of continuing just as Carrasco makes his return. Max Scherzer had to leave yesterday’s start after 67 pitches due to what the team described as left side fatigue.
Considering that Scherzer missed close to two months with a oblique strain of his own earlier this season, his removal “was a precautionary move,” the right-hander told MLB.com’s Joe Trezza and other reporters.
“There was nothing that happened. Nothing tightened up. Just had general fatigue overall on my left side,” Scherzer said. “That is where you can run into an injury, when you’re pitching through fatigue….I just couldn’t take any risks, especially where the calendar is at. There is no time left to re-ramp back up. I think that played just as important a factor in coming out after five [innings].”
Scherzer said he would be able to make his next start, while Mets manager Buck Showalter was a little less steadfast, instead saying “we’re hopeful [Scherzer] can make his next start.” New York doesn’t have a game on Thursday, so Scherzer will already get an extra day to rest and recover before he is slated to face the Marlins on September 9. Given the right-hander’s importance to the Mets’ playoff chances, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see that start pushed back or perhaps even scratched if Scherzer has any at all lingering effects from his side issue.
Mets Activate Max Scherzer, Designate Chasen Shreve For Assignment
The Mets announced Tuesday that they’ve designated left-hander Chasen Shreve for assignment in order to open a spot on the roster for ace Max Scherzer, who has been reinstated from the injured list and is slated to start tonight’s game.
Scherzer’s return comes just over six weeks after his original placement on the injured list due to a strained oblique muscle. The three-time Cy Young winner, who inked a record three-year, $130MM contract this offseason, pulled himself from his May 18 start against the Cardinals after feeling the strain pop up midway through the sixth inning. A subsequent MRI revealed the strain. He’s made a pair of rehab appearances with Double-A Binghamton over the past couple weeks, tossing a total of eight innings with a 14-to-2 K/BB ratio in that time.
Prior to landing on the shelf, Scherzer was every bit the ace the Mets hoped when signing him for the highest annual rate ever received by any player. He’s made eight starts so far in 2022, tallying 49 2/3 innings with a 2.54 ERA with a 30.6% strikeout rate against an excellent 5.7% walk rate. The Mets are in first place even without any contributions from Scherzer over the past week and without a single inning yet from co-ace and fellow multi-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom, who has been sidelined all year after a stress reaction was found in his right shoulder blade.
With deGrom on a rehab assignment and Scherzer back on the active roster, however, the Mets are nearing the debut of the dynamic rotation they anticipated as the focal point of what they hope to be a World Series contender. Scherzer and deGrom will be joined by Chris Bassitt, Taijuan Walker and Carlos Carrasco when the team is up to full strength. Depth options Tylor Megill, David Peterson and Trevor Williams have all given ample reason to be optimistic about the pitching talent even beyond that quintet, though Megill’s numbers dwindled as the season progressed and he’s now on the injured list himself.
As for Shreve, who’ll turn 32 next week, he’s been unable to build on a strong 2021 showing with the Pirates and a solid 2020 season with this same Mets club. The veteran southpaw notched a tidy 3.43 ERA in 81 1/3 innings from 2020-21 and owns a similarly solid 3.72 mark dating back to 2017. However, his 2022 season has been nightmarish, as he’s been tagged for a 6.49 ERA in 26 1/3 frames in his second stint with the Mets.
Shreve’s 25.4% strikeout rate is nearly identical to his career 25.6% mark, and this year’s 8.8% walk rate is actually his lowest since a 12-inning debut with the Braves back in 2014. Unfortunately for Shreve and for the Mets, he’s been extremely homer-prone in 2022, surrendering an average of 2.05 long balls per nine innings. That’s been a driving factor behind his inability to strand runners (career-worst 62.9% in 2022).
In Shreve’s defense, his numbers through mid-June were roughly in line with his career totals. As late into the season as June 7, Shreve was sporting a 3.86 ERA with FIP and xFIP marks that largely supported his ERA. Over his next five appearances, however, Shreve was tattooed for 10 runs on 11 hits — including three homers — in just 5 1/3 innings. As with any reliever, a few rough outings can inflate your numbers in a hurry, and it seems Shreve won’t be given the opportunity to right the ship with his current club.
The Mets will have a week to trade Shreve, attempt to pass him through outright waivers, or release him. He’s playing the year on a $1.5MM salary and has about $762K of that sum yet to be paid out. As a player with more than five years of MLB service time, Shreve has the right to reject the assignment in favor of free agency while still retaining his salary. A new team that claims or acquires Shreve would be on the hook for the whole sum (barring any cash included by the Mets in a trade), but if he clears waivers and opts for free agency, a new club would only owe him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the MLB roster. The Mets would remain on the hook for the rest of his salary.
Mets To Activate Max Scherzer On Tuesday
Mets ace Max Scherzer tells reporters he’ll be activated from the injured list and return to the Major League mound next Tuesday when the team is in Cincinnati (Twitter link via Anthony DiComo of MLB.com).
It’ll be the first appearance in just over six weeks for Scherzer, who suffered an oblique strain in mid-May. That came with a six-to-eight week recovery timetable, and the eight-time All-Star wound up landing on the earlier end of that estimate. Needless to say, that’s a welcome development given Scherzer’s importance to the club.
At the time of the injury, New York sat seven games clear of their competitors in the NL East. That gap has been closed to 3 1/2 entering play Friday, although that’s in large part due to an excellent run from the defending champion Braves. The Mets have gone 21-15 in Scherzer’s absence, regressing a bit from their early-season form but generally continuing to play well in spite of the absence of their two co-aces. Jacob deGrom, of course, has yet to pitch this season after suffering a scapular injury during Spring Training.
Signed to a record-setting three-year contract over the winter, Scherzer had continued to thrive in his new environs before getting hurt. Through his first eight starts as a Met, he’s tossed 49 2/3 frames of 2.54 ERA ball, striking out an elite 30.6% of opposing hitters.
Mets Notes: McCann, Scherzer, Holderman, deGrom
James McCann was activated from the 10-day injured list prior to today’s 5-3 win over the Marlins, and the catcher went 1-for-4 with a single and a run scored in his first game since May 10. McCann had to undergo surgery to fix a broken left hamate bone, costing him a little beyond the initial six-week recovery timeline. Nevertheless, McCann is back behind the plate and looking to finally get his Queens tenure on track. Since signing a four-year, $40.6MM free agent deal in the 2020-21 offseason, McCann has hit only .227/.290/.341 over his first 142 games and 476 plate appearances in a Mets uniform.
Neither Tomas Nido or Patrick Mazeika shone while McCann was out, so there isn’t much chance of McCann losing his starting job….unless the aggressive Mets either added a short-term catcher (i.e. a pending free agent like Willson Contreras) or perhaps promoted star prospect Francisco Alvarez. While Alvarez is crushing Double-A pitching, it would be bold to see the Mets promote him past Triple-A and directly to the majors, so the club would certainly prefer to just see McCann flash some of his good hitting form from the 2019-20 seasons.
More from the Amazins…
- There was some speculation that Max Scherzer could be activated from his own IL stint this weekend, but the ace will instead make another minor league rehab start. As Scherzer told MLB.com’s Paige Leckie and other reporters, he “got a little sore” after tossing his last rehab outing, plus a subsequent bullpen session, and continued rehab on his left oblique. “In order to pitch and to start [in the majors] on Sunday, I was going to have to be perfect….I couldn’t check that box,” Scherzer said. This doesn’t really count as a setback for the former Cy Young Award winner, given that a return tomorrow would have put him ahead of schedule from the 6-to-8 week timeline initially attached to his recovery. Should all go well in this next rehab outing, Scherzer might be able to return to the Mets for their series against the Rangers next weekend (July 2-3).
- Speaking of rehab assignments, right-hander Colin Holderman will start for Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday, Mets skipper Buck Showalter told Leckie and other reporters. Holderman was (retroactively) placed on the 15-day IL on June 8 due to a right shoulder impingement, but it seems as though the rookie is making good progress. Over his first 11 1/3 innings in the majors, Holderman has posted a 3.18 ERA, 30.4% strikeout rate, and 8.7% walk rate.
- Jacob deGrom threw his second live batting-practice session, tossing over 20 pitches. (The New York Post’s Mike Puma was among those to report the news.) DeGrom has another BP session scheduled, and he could then perhaps be lined up for a minor league rehab assignment. It marks yet another step in deGrom’s recovery from a stress fracture in his scapula, as deGrom has yet to pitch this season — or in almost a full year, as deGrom’s appearance on July 7, 2021 was his last before a forearm injury eventually ended his 2021 campaign.
- Left-handed relief pitching will be among the Mets’ priorities at the trade deadline this summer, Jon Heyman of the New York Post writes. While the club will look for bullpen help in general, Chasen Shreve and Joely Rodriguez are the only southpaws in New York’s bullpen, and both have been a little shaky this year.
Mets Notes: Scherzer, deGrom, Megill
The Mets co-aces each hit a milestone in their recoveries from injury today. Max Scherzer made a rehab start with Double-A Binghamton, tossing 3 1/3 innings and 65 pitches. It’s the first game action for the three-time Cy Young winner since he suffered an oblique strain in mid-May.
Jon Heyman and Mark Sanchez of the New York Post wrote over the weekend that Scherzer could return to the big league staff as soon as Sunday. Whether he’s back that quickly remains to be seen, but it’s possible he could beat the initial timeline. The club originally estimated his recovery at six-to-eight weeks; this Thursday will mark the five-week mark since the injury. Even if Scherzer does wind up requiring one more rehab start before returning to the majors, the Mets surely have to be happy with his current situation considering the initial expectations.
The team announced that Jacob deGrom threw a live batting practice session at their Florida complex (via Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News). It’s the first time deGrom has thrown to hitters since he was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his scapula at the end of Spring Training. The four-time All-Star has been working off the mound for the past couple weeks, and he continues to progress toward an eventual return. A specific timeline for him logging game action is to be determined, and deGrom is expected to require at least three rehab starts before getting back on the Citi Field mound.
In addition to Scherzer and deGrom, New York will be without Tylor Megill for an extended period. The right-hander suffered a shoulder strain and landed on the injured list last week, with the club announcing he’d be shut down from throwing entirely for at least a month.
Megill only managed a 5.01 ERA through nine starts before the injury, but he struck out a quality 27% of batters faced against a 6.3% walk rate. He’s started all 27 of his major league appearances dating back to last year’s call-up, but the Mets have at least given some thought to using him in shorter stints. Ken Rosenthal suggested on this week’s Athletic Baseball Show that New York had some internal discussions about the possibility of converting Megill into a high-leverage setup role once Scherzer and deGrom returned to join Carlos Carrasco, Taijuan Walker, Chris Bassitt and depth starters David Peterson and Trevor Williams.
Rosenthal noted those hypotheticals were kicked around before Megill’s injury, which could throw a wrench into any plans. It seems likely he’d require less of a rehab buildup to work out of relief than as a starter, perhaps increasing the appeal of such a move though. Either way, Megill won’t be on an MLB mound for an extended period, and intervening events will no doubt affect the club’s course of action. He’s likely to be out through the August 2 trade deadline, and New York figures to explore the market for both starting and relief help over the coming weeks.
Mets Announce Series Of Roster Moves
The Mets announced to reporters, including Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, a series of roster moves prior to today’s doubleheader. Max Scherzer is going on the 15-day IL and infielder Gosuke Katoh has been optioned to Triple-A. Going in the other direction, Starling Marte has been activated from the bereavement list, righty Jake Reed has been recalled, along with fellow righty Adonis Medina joining the roster as the club’s 27th man for the twin bill.
Scherzer’s placement on the injured list is the most notable yet least surprising part of all this, as it’s already been reported that he will be out for 6-8 weeks due to an oblique strain. With Scherzer out of the picture, the club’s rotation will likely consist of Chris Bassitt, Taijuan Walker, Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Williams and David Peterson. In the next couple of weeks, they’re likely to get Tylor Megill back into the mix, with some combination of those six aiming to keep the train on the tracks until Scherzer and/or Jacob deGrom can get back on the mound later in the summer. The club is off to a tremendous 26-14 start and has built up a 7 1/2 game lead in the NL East, though their depth will now be tested in the weeks to come.
It’s also possible that the club could need another arm to get through this week, as last night’s snowed-out game in the Rocky Mountains has been pushed into today’s doubleheader. The Mets will now be playing six games in the next five days. Medina could eat some innings as a long man, though he hasn’t topped three innings in any appearance this season, either in the majors or the minors. Thomas Szapucki started last night’s game in Triple-A but threw only 12 pitches in one inning, perhaps indicating that the club wants to save his arm for a showing with the big league team this week.
Max Scherzer Likely Out Six To Eight Weeks Due To Oblique Strain
The results of Max Scherzer‘s MRI are in, and the news isn’t great for the Mets. The team announced Thursday that Scherzer has suffered a “moderate to high grade internal oblique strain” and is expected to miss six to eight weeks. He’ll be placed on the injured list alongside co-ace Jacob deGrom (stress reaction in his scapula) and right-hander Tylor Megill (biceps inflammation).
It’s a brutal blow for the Mets, who sit at 25-14 and currently hold a six-game lead over the second-place Phillies in the National League East. Scherzer sustained the injury last night when throwing a slider to Albert Pujols, telling reporters after the game that he’d been experienced some tightness before feeling a “zing” down his side on the final pitch to Pujols. The three-time Cy Young winner immediately called for the training staff and could be seen plainly stating, “I’m done” when the staff reached the mound.
The Mets shattered precedent to get Scherzer into Queens, signing the 37-year-old righty to a three-year deal worth $130MM and giving him the highest annual salary in baseball history in doing so ($43.33MM). Owner Steve Cohen and first-year general manager Billy Eppler surely had visions of the game’s most formidable one-two punch at the time, dreaming of a playoff rotation fronted by Scherzer and deGrom.
It’s possible that duo could yet lead the Mets’ staff in the postseason, but deGrom hasn’t pitched yet in 2022 thanks to that shoulder injury. The team announced earlier this week that his latest MRI revealed “continued healing” but did not provide a timetable for his return. It’s now possible that the Mets won’t have that vaunted duo healthy and on the same roster until after the All-Star break, depending on Scherzer’s recovery.
Even in the absence of Scherzer, deGrom and Megill — whose injury should be downplayed, given the strength of his early performance — the Mets still have a solid starting staff on paper. Chris Bassitt and Carlos Carrasco have been outstanding early in the season, and the Mets have gotten quality work from Taijuan Walker and (in more limited opportunities) lefty David Peterson, too. It’s likely that Williams and Peterson will be the choices to follow the trio of Bassitt, Carrasco and Walker while the Mets navigate this latest batch of injuries.
While that’s a solid group, it obviously pales in comparison to a full-strength contingent of Mets starters. And, more concerning, the depth beyond the current quintet begins to look more questionable. Veteran left-hander Mike Montgomery is pitching with the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate but has been tagged for a 5.52 ERA through seven starts. Twenty-five-year-old Thomas Szapucki has been sharp through six Triple-A starts but has totaled just 21 innings in those outings. Righty Jordan Yamamoto has been a depth option for the Mets in the past, but he was removed from the 40-man roster earlier this season and only just made his minor league debut — 1 2/3 shaky innings in High-A — after missing time on the minor league injured list. Former Angels righty Felix Pena was brought in on a minor league deal, but like Montgomery, he’s struggled in Triple-A.
Given the manner in which injuries have already cut into the team’s depth, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Mets poke around the market for some depth options. Major trades this time of year are uncommon but not unheard of. Otherwise, the Mets could turn to some recently DFA’ed arms (e.g. Jharel Cotton) or veterans who’ve recently opted for minor league free agency (e.g. Drew Hutchison, Carlos Martinez) in an effort to at least stockpile some experienced options in the upper minors.
Max Scherzer Undergoes MRI Following Last Night’s Early Exit
11:40am: Scherzer indeed sustained an oblique injury, tweets Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The severity of the injury isn’t yet known, although as Heyman points out, even Grade 1 oblique strains can sideline players for upwards of a month. Of course, every injury is different, and there are certainly instances of players returning far sooner than that. The Mets figure to have a formal announcement on Scherzer’s status at some point today.
8:00am: Mets ace Max Scherzer pulled himself from last night’s game midway through a sixth-inning at-bat against Albert Pujols (video link). After throwing a 2-2 slider to Pujols, Scherzer immediately motioned to the dugout that he was done, calling for a trainer and promptly exiting the game. The Mets announced that Scherzer was dealing with discomfort in his left side, and Scherzer told reporters after the contest that he’d felt tightness in his side throughout the day and felt a “zing” during the Pujols at-bat (video link). “I just knew I was done,” said Scherzer. The three-time Cy Young winner added that he doesn’t believe the injury to be a “major strain.”
That’ll be determined this morning, it seems, as MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo writes that Scherzer is headed for an MRI to determine the extent of the injury. While Scherzer himself downplayed the potential severity, it’s obviously a point of concern that he both pulled himself from the game and is now undergoing a round of imaging to determine whether a trip to the injured list will be necessary.
The 37-year-old right-hander inked a record-setting three-year, $130MM contract with the Mets over the winter, making him the highest paid player (on an annual basis) in Major League history. Thus far, Scherzer has been the co-ace the Mets hoped to be acquiring when doling out that deal, pitching 49 2/3 innings of 2.54 ERA ball with a 30.6% strikeout rate against a 5.7% walk rate. He’s been a major reason that the Mets’ rotation, even without Jacob deGrom, ranks fifth in the Majors in ERA and second in FIP. Scherzer and his rotation-mates have also combined for the seventh-highest strikeout rate and the lowest walk rate of any starting staff in the big leagues.
At present, the Mets are the only team in the NL East with a winning record, and at 25-14 they hold a healthy six-game lead over the second-place Phillies. That said, even a brief absence for Scherzer, placing him on the shelf alongside deGrom and righty Tylor Megill (biceps inflammation), would be a notable blow. The Mets do have a deep staff that could potentially weather that trio of rotation injuries in the short-term, with lefty David Peterson presumably serving as the next man in line if Scherzer indeed misses time. Still, losing their $76.83MM one-two deGrom/Scherzer punch to the injured list before the pair is ever even healthy enough to take the mound on consecutive days isn’t a scenario the Mets hoped to face.
The Mets announced earlier this week that an MRI on deGrom, who has yet to pitch in 2022 due to a stress reaction in his right scapula, showed “continued healing.” He’s working through a throwing program and currently building up the distance from which he throws and the intensity level, but there’s no clear timetable for him to get back onto the mound and embark on a minor league rehab assignment. If Scherzer were to join deGrom and Megill on the IL, the Mets’ rotation would likely consist of Chris Bassitt, Carlos Carrasco, Taijuan Walker, Trevor Williams and the aforementioned Peterson.
Mets Notes: Scherzer, deGrom, Nimmo
Max Scherzer is set to throw a bullpen session on Tuesday, Mets manager Buck Showalter told Newsday’s Tim Healey and other reporters. Right hamstring tightness kept Scherzer out of a scheduled seven-inning intrasquad game on Saturday, which was supposed to be Scherzer’s last bit of spring work before the beginning of the regular season.
The ace has already tossed 11 Grapefruit League innings, so his arm might already be built up enough should he get through Tuesday’s bullpen without any ill effects. It is also possible that the Mets might opt for some extra caution, and either push Scherzer’s first start back at least a few days, or maybe even sideline him with a backdated IL visit just to be completely sure that the 37-year-old is fully ready.
Scherzer’s health has taken on an greater import for the Mets in the wake of Friday’s news that Jacob deGrom will miss probably at least the first two months of the season after an MRI revealed a stress reaction in his right scapula. The Mets begin play on April 7 with seven straight games (a four-game series against the Nationals and then a three-game series against the Phillies), so there aren’t any off-days to provide breathing room for the pitching staff.
DeGrom and Scherzer had been penciled in for the first two games of the schedule, with Chris Bassitt, Carlos Carrasco, and Taijuan Walker then slated to follow in the rotation. Rather than disrupt this planned routine, if Scherzer can’t pitch on April 7, any of Tyler Megill, David Peterson, or Trevor Williams could start the first two games, or New York could even opt for a bullpen game. Of course, the Mets are also known to be on the lookout for more starting pitching help, so a new face might suddenly emerge to help fill out the rotation picture.
DeGrom met with reporters (including The New York Post’s Mike Puma) today to discuss his injury, and unsurprisingly, his “level of frustration is really high right now” over another lengthy stint on the injured list. A forearm injury ended deGrom’s 2021 season on July 7, cutting short an incredible year that saw deGrom post an 1.08 ERA over 92 innings.
If there is any silver lining, deGrom is confident that his stress reaction won’t be a lingering problem: “Structurally everything looks fine, so once the bone heals then we’ll be ready to go and build up from there and hopefully be healthy for the rest of the year.” As such, deGrom reiterated that he is still planning to exercise the opt-out clause in his contract after the season, and test the open market.
Most pitchers with this recent injury history would be more hesitant over walking away from a guaranteed $30.5MM in 2023, plus maybe another $32.5MM in 2024 via a Mets club option. However, if deGrom is healthy and pitches like his usual self when he returns to the mound, he’ll surely land a more lucrative multi-year commitment. As The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal pointed out, $12MM of deGrom’s 2023 salary would also be deferred, so opting out would allow deGrom to land more up-front money in a new contract.
In other Mets contract news (or lack thereof), Puma reports that there hasn’t been any discussion between the club and Brandon Nimmo‘s representatives about a contract extension. Nimmo has stated multiple times that he would be interested in working out a long-term deal as he enters his final season before free agency. In general, most players prefer to not let talks carry on beyond Opening Day, so there might not be a lot of time left for a deal to get done if Nimmo adheres to this rough deadline.
Nimmo has been one of baseball’s more quietly productive players in recent years, hitting .266/.393/.445 with 47 home runs over 1695 career PA. This translates to a very impressive 131 OPS+ and 134 wRC+, but the key statistic might be the relatively small amount of plate appearances, as Nimmo has been beset by multiple injuries. It could be that the Mets have held off on extension talks in order to see if Nimmo can finally put together a lengthy stretch of playing time in 2022, though if he does stay healthy, Nimmo might then be tempted to test the free agent market.