Outfielder Brandon Nimmo sounds prepared for folks to passionately dislike the New York Mets because of big-spending staff proprietor Steve Cohen.
“We positively know we’re going to have that focus on on our again,” Nimmo advised reporters Tuesday, per John Harper of SNY. “It comes with the territory, and I’m good with it. We wish to be the very best and other people wish to take down the very best. I wish to be the staff that different groups wish to take down. You’ve gotta take satisfaction in that. You’ve gotta be up for the problem and be keen to organize so that you just’re prepared each day as a result of we’re going to get everybody’s A recreation.”
Nimmo remained with the Mets this offseason by way of an eight-year, $162 million contract that’s one motive the Amazins are carrying what ESPN’s Jeff Passan referred to on Feb. 6 as “baseball’s largest payroll ever in 2023.” In response to Spotrac, the Mets are outspending the New York Yankees by almost $70 million forward of Opening Day.
Understandably, Cohen has some remembering how former Yankees proprietor George Steinbrenner was ripped by some critics for “shopping for” World Sequence titles and pennants within the late 1990s and early 2000s.
“I don’t know, we is likely to be (the brand new ‘Evil Empire’),” Nimmo continued throughout his feedback. “With Steve making lots of splashes within the offseason, there are lots of similarities. We’re doing what the Yankees all the time used to do: We’re going for it.”
The Mets have a protracted journey forward of them if they are going to catch the Yankees even because it pertains to current successes. Whereas the Yankees have performed within the American League Championship Sequence on three events since 2017 alone, the Mets have not competed within the Nationwide League Championship Sequence or gained a pennant since they misplaced the 2015 World Sequence to the Kansas Metropolis Royals. Final fall, the Mets have been bounced from the Wild Card spherical of the playoffs by the San Diego Padres.
Nimmo added that he needs the Mets, as an entire, to “embrace” being a staff that individuals hate.
“I do know the blokes final yr had lots of bulldog combat and grit in them,” he mentioned. “We performed with a chip on our shoulder. I hope we’ll have that very same perspective.”
That is all nicely and good, however this yr’s version of the Mets must also keep in mind to attempt to have a little bit extra enjoyable throughout the closing stretch of the upcoming season after what occurred in 2022.
