MLB franchises value a lot of things in a ballplayer.
They value talent, work ethic, and commitment.
But if we are going to be more specific and talk about in-game traits they look for in an impact player, Brandon Nimmo is the perfect player for any ownership and front office to have.
He has some power to hit between 15 and 20 homers per year, he plays excellent defense at an up-the-middle position, he has competitive fire, he is speedy, and, above all things, he gets on base.
He is a dynamo who is just as likely to rip an extra-base hit than he is to draw walks and getting on base in front of the New York Mets‘ potent sluggers.
That’s why the team had to bring him back.
Everyone at the front office level was enamored with Nimmo’s talent to change a game, so they had to go eight years and $162 million to keep him in Queens.
The Cohens Are More Involved Than Your Average Owner
The player obviously preferred to stay, because it’s the only franchise he has known, he feels he can win in New York, and because ownership played a part in his decision.
Nimmo himself explained how Steve and Alex Cohen were also factors in his choice to stay.
“’To be honest, that’s something harder to find throughout the league with ownership.’ #LGM ~ Brandon Nimmo on Steve & Alex Cohen’s impact on making his decision to come back to the #Mets,” GENY Mets Report tweeted.
“To be honest, that's something harder to find throughout the league with ownership.” #LGM
~ Brandon Nimmo on Steve & Alex Cohen’s impact on making his decision to come back to the #Mets. pic.twitter.com/S6SloFG3wj
— GENY Mets Report (@genymets) December 15, 2022
The Cohens are obviously more involved with their franchise than the average owner.
Steve Cohen is a lifelong Mets fan and would do anything in his power to put the organization in the best possible position to compete.
In this case, bringing back Nimmo was a necessity, and they pulled it off.
NEXT: Mets Insider Explains Why The Team Passed On Carlos Correa