Philadelphia Phillies: 3 free agents to steal from the Mets this offseason
By Tim Boyle
It’s not often a free agent goes from the New York Mets to the Philadelphia Phillies or vice versa. It has happened before, though. It’s the path Zack Wheeler took. To a much lesser extent, Jeurys Familia did the same.
Loyalty between players and their former team disappears as soon as a contract is offered. Once a free agent, the key word is free. There is no more thinking of past rivals as the enemy.
The Mets have a lot of free agents this offseason. And while Jacob deGrom or Edwin Diaz would be intriguing, they just don’t seem realistic for the Phillies. Fortunately, there are a couple of other guys to swipe away from one of their biggest rivals.
3. Phillies should steal center fielder Brandon Nimmo from the Mets
Center fielders like Brandon Nimmo are hard to find. He gets on a base a ton, has decent pop, and has developed into a very good fielder. Buried behind Michael Conforto for years in New York in terms of popularity, he passed him a couple of seasons ago thanks in large part to how much of a pest he can be.
Phillies fans know well how Nimmo can get under your skin. His ability to draw walks is impressive. He does a lot of things right and few things wrong. To answer the question of who should start for the Phillies in center field next season, they can turn to Nimmo for an answer.
The Phillies need to get some different styles of players into the mix this offseason. Nimmo isn’t the all-or-nothing swinging outfielder like Kyle Schwarber. He’s an entirely different type of outfielder than Bryce Harper, too.
Would Nimmo, a guy who never stops smiling, turn on the Mets and sign with the Phillies? If his agent Scott Boras has anything to say about it, the winner in the sweepstakes is whoever offers the most money. Make Brandon Marsh a depth piece and add Nimmo for every day duties.