Brandon Nimmo is ready for the New York Mets to go for it.
On the heels of a red-hot June that vaulted New York back into the NL wild-card race, Nimmo revealed Monday that he’s been pushing owner Steve Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns to act as buyers ahead of the deadline.
“Any chance that I get, I throw that in there,” Nimmo told Will Sammon of The Athletic. “I don’t think that we are that far off from being a real contender.”
The Mets started 2024 slowly and were 11 games under .500 on May 29 but have turned on the jets since then, going 22-12. While they’re not currently in a playoff spot, the Mets are just one game under .500 and 2.5 games behind the San Diego Padres for the final wild-card berth.
Offense has been the main catalyst for the Mets’ surge. Nimmo – who owns a .811 OPS with 13 homers – has done his part, as have designated hitter J.D. Martinez and first baseman Pete Alonso, among others. New York entered Monday ranking third in wRC+ (135) and home runs (49) since June 1. Its starting pitching has also been solid as a unit.
However, the Mets will need major upgrades to their struggling bullpen if they’re to contend. Star closer Edwin Díaz has struggled, and the bullpen lacks depth.
Their bullpen issues were on display again Monday, when two relievers allowed six runs to waste an excellent start from Christian Scott in an 8-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The defeat sent the Mets home after a 4-4 road trip.
“Honestly, that’s the story of the year so far. We haven’t been able to lock down wins all the time,” Nimmo, now in his ninth season with the Mets, said. “And that’s a problem. But we’re hoping to address it. We’re hoping to continue to get better at it. We know we went on a streak there where we did a lot better. So we know it’s in there, but it’s a problem. There’s no question. But still think there’s positives to look at on this road trip.”
The Mets start a stretch of 10 consecutive games against sub-.500 teams Tuesday when they host the Washington Nationals.
