Hours after former Mets ace Jacob deGrom held his introductory press conference with the Rangers, New York agreed to re-sign a homegrown star in Brandon Nimmo. The Mets are also signing David Robertson.
Mets fans could not have enjoyed seeing Jacob deGrom in a Rangers uniform when New York’s former ace held his introductory press conference with Texas on Thursday afternoon. Hours later, however, the Flushing faithful found out a different homegrown star is staying put.
The Mets and center fielder Brandon Nimmo agreed to an eight-year, $162 million contract on Thursday night, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The team did not stop there, though.
Minutes later, Passan reported a one-year, $10 million agreement between the Mets and right-handed reliever David Robertson.
Nimmo, 29, has been with the Mets since they drafted him in the first round in 2011. The seven-year pro is coming off his best season yet, according to his career-high 5.4 fWAR. He slashed .274/.367/.433 with 30 doubles, seven triples, 16 home runs, 64 RBI and a 134 wRC+ in 2022.
The lefty swinger also made improvements defensively based on Outs Above Average.
Robertson, meanwhile, is returning to New York after two different stints with the Yankees (2008-2014, 2017-2018). He won a World Series with the pinstripers in 2009.
Robertson, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019, enjoyed a resurgent season with the Cubs and Phillies in 2022. The 37-year-old recorded a 2.40 ERA with 20 saves and 11.5 K/9.
Robertson has also pitched for the White Sox and Rays. He gives the Mets a dependable set-up man and an experienced closer should anything happen to Edwin Díaz.
With Nimmo coming back and Robertson on board, the Mets’ 2023 payroll is now roughly $326 million for Competitive Balance Tax purposes, per ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel. New York has also signed pitchers Justin Verlander and José Quintana and re-signed Díaz this offseason.
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