If the Mets were hoping to work out a contract extension with Brandon Nimmo, they’ll have to go through different representation to get there.
The veteran Mets outfielder has left his agent at CAA and has joined Scott Boras, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post on Monday.
Nimmo is a free agent at the end of the 2022 season and the Mets have been interested in opening talks about a contract extension before his current deal expires. Of course, teams currently cannot speak with players or their representatives during the owner-inflicted lockout that began on Dec. 2.
The 30-year-old made a case to stick around for the long haul with the team after continuing to prove his value as a top-of-the-order bat. For the third time in four seasons, Nimmo posted an on-base percentage greater than .400 (.401) while posting an .838 OPS in 92 games last season.
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Since the start of the 2016 season, Nimmo’s .383 career on-base percentage ranks sixth amongst active players in all of Major League Baseball behind Mike Trout, Juan Soto, Joey Votto, Freddie Freeman, and Bryce Harper.
That will only drive Nimmo’s value further with Boras, who has a spotty history with the Mets in recent years.
He helped drive a wedge between Matt Harvey and the Mets toward the end of the once-star pitcher’s career in Queens. He also represents Michael Conforto, who turned down the Mets’ qualifying offer earlier this offseason and is highly unlikely to re-sign with the team in free agency — especially after the Mets brought on Starling Marte and Mark Canha.
But they did manage to nab one of Boras’ most high-profile clients this season in starting pitcher Max Scherzer, who inked a record-breaking three-year, $130 million pact to join the Mets’ rotation.
