What Harrison Bader’s arrival in Queens means for Brandon Nimmo and the Mets outfield

battled naysayers for years, first proving doubters wrong when he became an everyday outfielder. Then he had a new set of doubters to prove wrong when the moved him to center field. But heading into the 2024 season, Nimmo will face competition at the position from with the Mets for one year at $10.5 million.

The Mets aren’t making any decisions before spring training, but it looks as though Nimmo will be spending some time in left field next season. It’s not an ideal position for a franchise player on a long term contract, but a new regime that prioritizes defense up the middle saw an opportunity to sign an elite defender and took it by signing Bader.

“Harrison is unquestionably one of the best defenders in all of baseball,” Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said Wednesday on a Zoom call. “He can change the game with his defense and he has the ability to help us win games in a variety of different ways. He’s shown flashes of offensive upside and we think there is, unquestionably, a really impactful offensive player and we can help him get there.” Nimmo, who to remain with the Mets until the end of his career, has played all three outfield positions but has been the team’s primary center fielder since 2020.

Nimmo is in the 70th percentile in Outs Above Average and his acrobatic catches and athletic play earned him high marks from the pitching staff. One of the best leadoff hitters in the National League, a move to left would allow the Mets to keep his bat in the lineup and add an elite defender to help with run prevention up the middle.

Do the Mets need to move Nimmo? Probably not, which is why Stearns said no decision will be made until this spring. Bader might be the better defender in center field, but the 29 year old has struggled to stay healthy and has not been able to show a whole lot of consistency at the plate. Bader thinks he can change that if he stays healthy.

He produced for the Yankees during the 2022 playoffs, hitting .333 with five home runs when it mattered the most, but he doesn’t exactly strike fear into opposing pitchers with . However, he’s eager to show that he can not only play every day but hit every day as well. Bader thinks he has “another gear” that he can get to.

“Every year baseball players age differently and the stresses are different,” Bader said. “Tapping into that gear and channeling that focus is all I’m really concerned with. So as long as that’s taken care of, and I’m physically there, I know how effective I can be.” The Mets have their own internal metrics to rate defense, so there may be something they see that says they’ll be better with Nimmo in left field and Bader in center field.

There have also been injury concerns with Nimmo throughout the years and the Mets have discussed a move to left field to mitigate some of them. Stearns emphasized that Bader will play center, not left or right, and that Nimmo, who is going into his age 31 season, is willing to move over as well. “I think Brandon is of the mind that he wants to do whatever is best for the team,” Stearns said.

“And if it means, at times, flipping back to center field, he’s open to it. If it means playing more predominantly left field, he’s open to that too. So we’ll kind of see how the roster shakes out.” The Mets are not ready to commit to a specific outfield alignment for Opening Day. Starling Marte is still expected to play right field, but that’s still contingent on health and productivity at the plate.

The Mets recently added Tyrone Taylor in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers and have DJ Stewart as well. Taylor and Stewart can play both corner outfield positions and Stewart is going to compete for a DH job this spring. If Bader can’t hit, then he’ll come off the bench as a defensive replacement.

If the Mets do tap into the offense, then they’ll have another bat and a strong outfield. Stearns is trying to give manager Carlos Mendoza as many quality options as he can. Issues of playing time typically tend to work themselves out on their own. “I believe I can do it,” Bader said. “It’s going to take work and I’m looking forward to doing the work.

So listen, with that said, I’m going to force my way into the lineup. I’m going to force Mandy’s hand as often as I possibly can. I’m not here to stomp my feet about where I’m planning or if I’m playing. I just know I’m going to be ready whenever my name is called upon.”.