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New York Mets: Brandon Nimmo is making Jay Bruce look like a terrible investment

By Mike Esposito

MILWAUKEE, WI - MAY 24: Brandon Nimmo #9, Michael Conforto #30, and Jay Bruce #19 of the New York Mets celebrate after beating the Milwaukee Brewers 5-0 at Miller Park on May 24, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI - MAY 24: Brandon Nimmo #9, Michael Conforto #30, and Jay Bruce #19 of the New York Mets celebrate after beating the Milwaukee Brewers 5-0 at Miller Park on May 24, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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The New York Mets signed Jay  Bruce to a sizeable contract this offseason, yet fellow outfielder Brandon  Nimmo has produced like deserves the kind of money Bruce is making.

The New York Mets have a had rough season and things aren’t looking too bright in Flushing. Yet, fans have learned a lot about the club as they struggle through this dumpster fire of a year. The early rash of injuries in the outfield has hurt New York’s season, but it’s also shed light on the disparity of pay and production between Jay Bruce and Brandon Nimmo. As nobody expected at the start of the season, the younger and cheaper option is making a high-profile signing look like a waste of cap space.

There was plenty of uncertainty surrounding the Mets’ outfield this offseason. Michael Conforto, who suffered a shoulder injury at the tail-end of the 2017 season, wouldn’t be ready for Opening Day and there was a gaping hole in right field that needed to be addressed.

With that in mind, Mets general manager Sandy Alderson signed a familiar face this past offseason to remedy the situation. Jay Bruce, who played for New York the last two seasons and was coming off a career year, signed a three-year, $39 million deal to man his old spot in right field.

The signing was praised at the time. Bruce gave the Mets a dangerous middle of the order bat and, based on his career 162-game average, was almost guaranteed to give New York 30 homers and at least 90 RBI a season. The 31-year-old slugger gave the Mets what they thought they needed at the time, but as it would turn out, he would be the last thing the club needed.

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Bruce has done nothing but disappoint in 2018 and looks like a shell of himself. Through 54 games this season, Bruce owns a pathetic .222/.294./.341 (average/on-base/slugging) slash line and only has 3 homers and 15 RBI to his name as of this writing. Overall, his body of work for the 2018 season has amounted to a pitiful -0.5 wins above replacement (WAR).

Obviously, Bruce has been a bust and unless he shapes up, he might join the likes of other outfielders like Bobby Bonilla and Jason Bay in franchise infamy. Yet, while the Mets’ high-profile signing has been a disappointment, Brandon Nimmo has been an absolute revelation for the club.

Originally a victim of the initial five-man logjam in the outfield, Nimmo got his opportunity to start thanks to a miserable week in May that saw Yoenis Cespedes and Juan Lagares end up on the disabled list. While New York is clearly hurting without both players in the lineup, their stints on the DL have turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

Since he’s started playing in a full-time role, the 25-year-old outfielder has provided a much-needed spark at the top of the Mets’ batting order. As of this writing, Nimmo owns an impressive .276/.421/.559 slash line with 7 homers, 14 RBI, and 6 steals to his name. While Bruce may have one more RBI, Nimmo clearly has clearly produced at a higher level and owns a 2.7 WAR for the season.

Nimmo may have seemed expendable early on, but Alderson’s insistence to keep the young outfielder (despite fielding several trade offers involving Nimmo) looks like the best decision he’s made this past offseason. With Nimmo at the top of the lineup, the Mets have a bona fide table-setter with an advanced approach at the plate, ability to get on base and the speed to swipe a bag or two if need be.

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What do they have with Bruce? A dime-a-dozen, all-or-nothing power hitter who isn’t producing as expected. The 31-year-old hasn’t done enough to prove he’s worth $39 million let alone the $11 million he’ll earn this year. Nimmo, on the other hand, who’s under team control until 2023 and won’t be eligible for arbitration until 2020, is making just $556,000 in 2018. The numbers speak for themselves. Bruce has been a terrible investment.

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