For the last six years, Brandon Nimmo's name has been floated on and off in various potential trade scenarios. This offseason, his name has popped up as the Mets and Pirates have discussed a potential deal for Starling Marte.
According to SNY's Andy Martino, Pittsburgh's ask remains big as they seek big league and minor league talent in exchange.
Nimmo was asked Saturday about how he deals with the rumors.
"I think the first experience I had with it really helped me out," Nimmo said during SNY's Mets Hot Stove at the Mets Fan Fest. "That was (for) Jay Bruce back in 2015. It was like announced on TV I was traded and this is how it's going down. I even asked my family before I left the hotel -- 'do you guys want to come to Cincinnati with me, because you guys are here in New York, how do we want to work that out?' I get to the field, 4 o'clock came around and I wasn't traded. They're like, 'get your stuff on, you're stretching.'"
The potential deal Nimmo is referencing above was in late-July of 2015, before the Mets pivoted and traded for Yoenis Cespedes.
After that point, Nimmo changed the way he reacts to rumors.
"Unless somebody calls me, unless Brodie (Van Wagenen) calls me and says 'you're traded, we traded you to this team,' I'm just not gonna pay attention to it," Nimmo explained. "But I'm also a very positive person and I like to take the positive outlook at it. At least people want you. Whether it's the other team or the Mets -- they haven't traded me yet, so they must like me a little bit."
When it comes to Marte specifically, trading Nimmo for him would be at best a lateral move and at worst a move that sets the Mets back.
While Nimmo is slightly below average in center field, his metrics out there in 2019 were similar to Marte's. If Marte remains at that level or slides further, Nimmo could all of a sudden become the better defensive option.
As far as offense, Nimmo has hit .252/.391/.450 in 278 games over the last three seasons while Marte has hit .284/.334/.458 in 354 games over the last three seasons.
If Nimmo is healthy in 2020 (and he seemed to be over his neck issues late last season), it's fair to say he's pretty much on par with Marte. He's also five years younger, has one extra year of team control, and costs roughly $9 million less than Marte.
Until Marte is traded, though, the rumors will continue to swirl.