Last week, we saw the free agent market kick off in earnest when the Mariners signed Josh Naylor to a long-term deal. Yesterday, we saw the trade market get going with a deal that could be called a blockbuster in today’s trade-phobic climate, as the Mets sent outfielder Brandon Nimmo to the Rangers for infielder Marcus Semien.
Does this deal have any implications for the Red Sox? It potentially takes the Mets out of the running for Alex Bregman, to the extent that they were ever interested in him.
Steve Cohen’s infield now consists of a superstar in Francisco Lindor, a veteran who may still have another all-star season in him in Semien, and Brett Baty, who just put up 3.1 bWAR in his first full season. Bregman would certainly be an improvement over Baty, but I doubt the Mets would make him a priority.
The Mets do now have a hole in the outfield, potentially making them partners in the inevitable Duran/Abreu deal. But I think they are fare more likely to simply give a lot of money to Kyle Tucker or Cody Bellinger than they are to swap a pitcher for one of our surplus outfielders.
As for the Rangers, their outfield is now exceedingly full, so don’t look for them to take Jarren Duran off our hands. But maybe we can take something from them? They are clearly trying to shed some salary, and they owe Corey Seager $31.5 million annually for the next 6 years. Would you rather have Seager for 6 years/$189 million than Bregman for 5 years/$150? They are almost the exact same age, but over the last three years Seager has posted 18.3 bWAR to Bregman’s 12.5. Seager’s clearly the better player, but, unlike Bregman, he’d take money and trade capital to acquire. Complicating matters is the fact that it looks the Rangers are trying to remain competitive instead of rebuilding, so a prospects-for-Seager deal probably doesn’t cut it.
Of course, if the Rangers really are committed to shedding salary, then a Jacob deGrom deal could be on the horizon. We all know about FSG’s stance towards pitchers over 30. But with only three years remaining on deGrom’s deal, he could present a unique opportunity.
Talk about what you want and be good to one another.
