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The New York Mets have more than enough outfielders. In fact, the team is struggling to choose who will be the third and final piece in the outfield this season. But that doesn’t mean the team isn’t keeping their eye on minor leaguer Brandon Nimmo.

The Mets drafted him in Round 1 in 2011. Since then, Nimmo has shown equal signs of success and struggles.

By April 2013, he was hitting .447. His batting average led the South Atlantic League at the time. It was also much better than the .211 average he hit for in 2011 with the Gulf Coast Mets and the Kingsport Mets, and his 2012 .248 batting average with the Brooklyn Cyclones.

But for the remainder of the season, Nimmo struggled mightily. The 20-year-old bruised his left hand in late April, and further strained his glute in May. 

He ended the season averaging .273 with two home runs and 40 RBI. Now, the run production and power is a bit low than the Mets expected when they signed him in 2011. But that can be chalked up to the fact that Nimmo’s hand injury really messed with his psyche last season. 

According to Savannah Sand Gnats broadcaster and MetsMinors reporter Toby Hyde, “When he returned, it was fairly clear that Nimmo did not trust his hands and was compensating in other areas of his swing.” 

But Nimmo has chipped away at overcoming his injuries.

Although August featured his highest strikeout percentage at 22.9, Nimmo managed to increase his OPS to .970—his highest percentage since his red-hot hitting streak in April. Nimmo also improved his batting average. After a .228 average between late May to July, Nimmo came out strong with a .354 average in 105 plate appearances in August.

While Nimmo may not make it to the majors this season, he certainly has the potential to make it to the majors one day.

As for his home run potential—he won’t be hitting it out of the ballpark every other day.

When he’s played in pitcher friendly ballparks, Nimmo struggled. The most home runs he’s hit in a minor league season is six. There’s certainly a difference between six home runs and 15 home runs, which he batted in for the American Legion.

There’s a possibility that Nimmo can hit for 15 home runs, but it’s still too early to tell. In the meantime, with a decent on-base percentage (OBP) this year, he can be projected to have a high OBP in the major leagues as well.

It’s best to see how the Mets perform with Granderson, Young and Young Jr./Lagares this season, while letting Nimmo play the year out in the minors. He’s young enough to fully recover both mentally and physically from his injury last season. And when the time is right, the Mets can bring him up. He’ll then be able to play at the professional, major league level. 

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The New York Mets haven’t made many splashes this offseason. Right now, the team is constantly trying to shop either Ike Davis or Lucas Duda. But there is growing talk that second baseman Daniel Murphy could also be traded soon, according to Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News.

Sandy Alderson, don’t do it!

Murphy is one of the hardest working players on the Mets. He constantly makes sacrifices for the team. He is also one of the best hitters in any recent Mets lineup. So, don’t do it!

Andy Martino of the New York Daily News tweeted out on December 8 that the Mets were willing to trade Murphy. Since then, no one in the Mets organization has stepped up and squashed the story.

Last season, Murphy was the leader in every offensive category besides the number of home runs hit. But even though he didn’t lead the team in home runs, he still contributed 13 homers. In the previous two years, he hit just six home runs each season.

Murphy led the dismal Mets in 2013 with a .286 batting average as well as a .319 OBP and 78 RBI.

He led the team by example. He always hustled and went for the extra mile. For instance, at 0:33 in the above video, Murphy busts out of the box and runs as hard as he can around the bases. That leads to a triple rather than a double, and his hit even gives the Mets a 4-3 lead over Miami late in the game.

What’s really impressive about Murphy is that he’s a total workhorse. In fact, he has battled injuries throughout his entire career, but it seems like he always comes back stronger.

He refuses to makes his injuries an excuse.

Instead, he uses the experience to push forward.

After tearing his MCL in August of 2011, he was forced to end his season early. Murphy came back and played 156 games in 2012. In 2013, no Mets player played more games than he did. Murphy played 161 out of the team’s 162 games.

Over the past three seasons, Murphy has increased his extra-base hits from 36 in 2011 to 55 in 2013. He also improved from 49 RBI in 2011 to 65 RBI in 2012 and 78 RBI in 2013.

Additionally, Murphy has been stealing a lot more bases. He stole five bases in 2011, 10 bases in 2012 and 23 bases in 2013.

And he hasn’t just improved offensively. To keep his career alive, he had to make some defensive changes as well.

The natural third baseman had to learn how to play second base in time for 2012. After struggling in the outfield when he first got called up to the majors, reporters and fans alike doubted his ability to then play second base. But he worked day in and day out, trying to perfect his fielding skills as best as he can.

By 2013, there was no doubt in Murphy being the Mets’ second baseman. Entering 2014, there certainly does not seem to be a better second baseman candidate for the Mets other than Murphy.

Who can replace him? At this point, I don’t think anyone can. The Mets are supposedly listening to offers from multiple teams, per Ackert. But they have not been satisfied with the value on any of the offers.

If the Mets can find someone who has 188 hits in a season and at least 78 RBI, then go ahead and try to make a deal. But they aren’t going to find that person.

Trading Murphy should not be on the Mets’ minds at all. They have bigger fish to fry.

What’s going to happen at shortstop? Who will be the first baseman in 2014, Davis or Duda? Can the team find a decent veteran relief pitcher before the beginning of the season?

The Mets need Murphy. He provides a level of stability on a team that is still within the process of rebuilding. The 28-year-old is a reliable hitter and, for the most part, a reliable fielder.

What other position player can you say the same for (besides David Wright)?

Besides, Murphy told Anthony DiComo of MLB.com that he want to remain a Met:

I want to be in New York. We’ve struggled the last couple of years, and I also feel like, hopefully, my best baseball is ahead of me. So when you feel like you’ve been a little part of the problem, you want to be a part of the solution.

Well, if he wants to help turn around this team, the Mets should let him be a part of it.

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Fifteen years in the big leagues and Carlos Beltran‘s offensive numbers are still good enough to place him as one of the most valued free agents in the majors this winter. 

Beltran recently turned down a one-year, $14.1 million offer from the St. Louis Cardinals, according to Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com. He is seeking a multi-year contract, and teams such as the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles are interested in signing the 36-year-old.

During the 2013 regular season, Beltran hit .296 with 24 home runs and 84 RBIs.

Throughout his career, in a total of 51 postseason games for the Astros, Mets and Cardinals, Beltran has 16 homers, a .333 average and a .445 on-base percentage per Dick Kaegel of MLB.com.

With an aging Beltran’s stats still pretty good, it is clear to see why the Boston Red Sox are interested in signing him. According to a number of sources, including Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald, Boston and Beltran are having serious discussions about their future.

The biggest reason why the Red Sox should try for Beltran is because free agent Jacoby Ellsbury is most likely going to leave the team. With Ellsbury gone, there will be space in the outfield for Beltran.

This may appear desirable to Beltran, who told Kaegel that whatever team he goes to he wants more playing time.

Even if Beltran doesn’t play the Boston outfield, he has a chance to play first base. Right now, there is the question of whether or not Mike Napoli will stick around with Boston, according to Lauber. If he doesn’t, Beltran could take his spot. Beltran has gotten slower with age so the decreased mobility required at first base could fit him well.

Bryan Hoch of MLB.com noted that the Red Sox’s rivals, the New York Yankees, are also interested in signing Beltran.

Beltran is just one of many free agents the Yankees are considering. New York is also interested in Brian McCann, Jhonny Peralta, Masahiro Tanaka and Stephen Drew, per Mark Feinsand and Michael O’Keeffe of the New York Daily News.

As we all know, money is usually not an issue for the Yankees. So it may be possible that a deal goes down between New York and Beltran. Currently the Yankees’ outfield consists of Brett Gardner, Ichiro Suzuki and Alfonso Soriano. Carlos Beltran would be an offensive improvement over at least both Suzuki and Gardner.

The Baltimore Orioles have also expressed interest in signing Beltran per Chris Mascaro of Sports Illustrated. However, Ricky Doyle of NESN Sports argued that the Orioles cannot pursue the outfielder until they clear up some salary space.

The Boston Globe writer Nick Cafardo agrees with Mascaro, tweeting:

And to do so, the Orioles are considering trading catcher Matt Wieters. In 2013, Wieters hit .235/.287/.417 for his worst statistical season of his career.

Trading Wieters doesn’t seem to be the right move however. Jay Jaffe of Sports Illustrated suggests that the Orioles should keep Wieters and bank on a rebound from him. With Wieters being a career .255/.319/.420 hitter and the lack of catchers on the market, the Orioles should stick to Wieters and move on from Beltran.

Beltran, who was first drafted by Kansas City in 1995, spoke to Kaegel about a possible return to the Royals:

Based on how they played this year, of course that’s a possibility — they competed; they had a team that almost won the Wild Card. They can compete, and my decision will be based on teams that are competing. That’s a team that I would consider, for sure. I don’t want to go back to a team that’s not competing.

Even though Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports stated the Royals would love to see a reunion with Beltran, they may not be able to afford him.

The Royals have a low payroll. Their 2013 payroll was $81.9 million according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts. Compared to the Red Sox, the Yankees and others, the Royals can easily be outbid for Beltran. So chances are, although both parties are interested, Beltran won’t end up in Kansas City.

Of all the teams considering Beltran, the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees seem to be the biggest contenders. Both need help in the outfield. But while the Yankees are looking to upgrade their outfield with Beltran, the Red Sox are looking to fill a gap if Ellsbury leaves.

Besides the opportunity to play more, the fact that the Red Sox beat the Cardinals in the 2013 World Series just might intrigue Beltran enough to sign with Boston.

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