Rays' Zach Eflin Told to Remove Wedding Ring During Start vs. Pirates
May 5, 2023
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - MAY 04: Zach Eflin #24 of the Tampa Bay Rays throws a pitch during the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Tropicana Field on May 04, 2023 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
Tampa Bay Rays starter Zach Eflin was asked by umpires to remove his wedding ring from his glove hand just one inning into Thursday's start against the Pittsburgh Pirates, according to ESPN.
— FanDuel Sports Network Florida & Sun (@FanDuelSN_FL) May 4, 2023
After tossing seven shutout innings and punching out 10 batters to help the Rays win 3-2, Eflin said the umpire crew during Thursday's game said he'd be ejected if he didn't take the ring off.
"This umpire crew was kind of a little different. They seemed a little on edge," Eflin said. "It's part of it. I said, 'If you're going to eject me out of the game then I'll take it off,' and that's what they ended up coming out and telling me on the mound."
Eflin, who got married in 2020, has worn his wedding ring since the start of the 2021 season. He originally put the ring in his pocket before moving it to his necklace.
Eflin is in his first season with the Rays after beginning his career with the Philadelphia Phillies. He entered Thursday's game 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 20 strikeouts in 21 innings across four starts.
The Rays moved to 26-6 with Thursday's win. They sit first in the AL East, 4.5 games above the second-place Baltimore Orioles.
MLB Rumors: Rays' Jeffrey Springs to Undergo Tommy John Surgery; Out Until 2024
Apr 18, 2023
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - APRIL 13: Jeffrey Springs #59 of the Tampa Bay Rays walks off the field in the middle of the third inning against the Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field on April 13, 2023 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Jeffrey Springs is expected to undergo Tommy John surgery and will miss the remainder of the 2023 season, according to Marc Topkin of theTampa Bay Times.
The Rays announced Tuesday that Springs was diagnosed with a left elbow flexor strain. He was placed on the 15-day injured list in what Topkins called a "procedural" move so the team could activate Taj Bradley.
Rays manager Kevin Cash said:
"Obviously, he's going on the IL with an elbow issue. I think in fairness to Jeff, he's still processing the information that he's gotten. He met with (Dr. Keith Meister on Tuesday). So I think we're a day or two from him coming up with a decision on what is ideal for him and then a timetable from there."
Springs suffered the injury in Thursday's 9-3 win over the Boston Red Sox. He exited the game after tossing three innings with what the team initially described as a nerve issue before further evaluation.
The 30-year-old put together the best season of his career in 2022, posting a 9-5 record with a 2.46 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 144 strikeouts across 135.1 innings.
Springs also had an impressive start to the 2023 campaign, posting a 2-0 record in three starts and a 0.56 ERA, 0.50 WHIP and 24 strikeouts in 16 innings. He was one of the team's best starters alongside Shane McClanahan.
With Springs sidelined, McClanahan will anchor a Tampa Bay rotation that also includes Drew Rasmussen, Josh Fleming and Bradley. Zach Eflin is on the 15-day injured list with lower back tightness.
Bradley is Tampa Bay's No. 1-ranked prospect, per MLB.com. The 22-year-old made his major league debut in an April 12 win over the Red Sox, allowing three runs on five hits and striking out eight in five innings.
The Rays are set to take on the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday and Wednesday at Great American Ball Park before beginning a three-game home series against the Chicago White Sox on Friday.
Rays Stun Twitter by Losing 1st Game of Season, Falling Short of Modern MLB Record
Apr 15, 2023
TORONTO, ON - APRIL 14: Randy Arozarena #56 of the Tampa Bay Rays looks on during the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on Friday, April 14, 2023 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Thomas Skrlj/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
It was close but not to be for the Tampa Bay Rays and their historic start to the season.
The Rays suffered their first loss Friday night in a 6-3 defeat to the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. Their undefeated streak ended at 13 games, tied for the best start in MLB history with 1982 Atlanta and the 1987 Milwaukee Brewers.
Rays starter Drew Rasmussen, who was 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA, struggled mightily against the potent Toronto lineup, which got started early.
George Springer hit a leadoff home run, and the Blue Jays poured it on with four runs in the fifth. Rasmussen was pulled from the game after 4.1 innings, having given up eight hits, four walks and five earned runs.
Despite the loss, no one can discount what the Rays accomplished over the first few weeks of the season.
Not even considered the best team in their division prior to the year, they have been the best team in the majors, with four more wins than any other club.
Their offense has also been off the charts.
Tampa Bay leads MLB in runs (104), homers (34) and OPS (.920) by wide margins, which is saying a lot in a season in which offense has taken a leap with new rules, including the pitch clock.
Though shocked, Twitter had nothing but love for the Rays and their historic run following the loss.
And that's your ballgame, #Rays lose for the first time this season, 6-3 to #BlueJays. End up tied with '82 #Braves and '87 #Brewers for modern day record of starting a season 13-0.
With their dominant and historic start to the year, the Rays have given themselves a cushion atop the American League East, the most stacked division in MLB. They have a four-game lead over the Blue Jays and a five-game lead over the New York Yankees.
The series against the Jays is their toughest test of the season so far. Tampa Bay has two more games against Toronto this weekend, but things will get easier with the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox up next.
Looking further down the line, the Rays have a marquee series against the struggling Houston Astros from April 24-26.
Rays' Historic 13-0 Start Floors MLB Twitter as Tampa Bay Sweeps Red Sox
Apr 13, 2023
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - APRIL 13: Yandy Diaz #2 celebrates with third base coach Brady Williams #4 of the Tampa Bay Rays after hitting a home run in the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field on April 13, 2023 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
The Tampa Bay Rays are on pace to go 162-0.
That's not going to happen, of course, but the Rays are making history to begin the 2023 season.
With their 9-3 win over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday afternoon at Tropicana Field, the Rays are 13-0 to start the 2023 campaign, becoming the first team since the 1987 Milwaukee Brewers to do so.
Those Brewers and 1982 Atlanta Braves are the only other modern-era teams to start a season 13-0.
Additionally, the Rays are tied for the longest win streak to start a season since 1900.
The last modern team to start the season with 13 straight wins was the 1987 Brewers.
Milwaukee finished 91-71, 7 games behind the first-place Tigers, one of *four teams* in the AL East with a better record than the Minnesota Twins, the AL West champs.
Tampa Bay put together another impressive outing Thursday as Yandy DÃaz and Brandon Lowe both hit home runs and Randy Arozarena, Manuel Margot, Harold RamÃrez and Francisco MejÃa all drove in runs.
Additionally, starting pitcher Jeffrey Springs posted five strikeouts before being pulled from the game in the top of the fourth inning with left arm ulnar neuritis.
While Tampa Bay has yet to face a quality opponent this season, it has still outscored its foes 101-30, which is remarkable, and tying the record is still an impressive feat.
Twitter was quick to praise Tampa Bay for sweeping the Red Sox and joining the history books Thursday:
Sure it came against 4 last place teams, but 13-0 to being the year for the Rays is insane. Outscoring your opponents 101-30 is preposterous. Don't like it one bit
The Rays will face much tougher opponents in the weeks ahead as matchups against the Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros are on tap this month.
The Rays will be back in action Friday against the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
The Red-Hot Rays Must Be Taken Seriously as AL Favorites over Yankees, Astros
Zachary D. Rymer
Apr 12, 2023
The Rays can't keep winning forever, but they will keep winning often.
On-base percentage and launch angle were game-changers, alright, but the Tampa Bay Rays have discovered the most powerful Moneyball-esque market inefficiency that Major League Baseball has yet seen.
Just don't lose games.
Following their 7-2 win over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, the Rays are now 11-0 to start the 2023 season. They're only the fourth team since 1901 to win 11 in straight out of the gate, while their plus-63 run differential is the best ever for a modern team through 11 games.
The Rays went to the World Series in 2020 and followed with 100 wins in 2021, so perhaps it's not surprising that the '23 iteration has so quickly catapulted itself to the top of the American League power structure. But if the question is how much staying power do the Rays have, the answer depends on where you look.
The Houston Astros (+390) and New York Yankees (+400) still top the Rays (+500) in the odds to win the American League pennant at DraftKings, so the betting market clearly isn't convinced. Yet the picture is different at FanGraphs, where the Rays now have an AL-high 21.6 percent chance of representing the Junior Circuit in the Fall Classic.
As for how things look from this perspective, there's one good reason to side with the former but two good reasons to side with the latter.
The Obvious Reason Not to Take the Rays Seriously
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - APRIL 7: Isaac Paredes #17 of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrates his grand slam home run against the Oakland Athletics during the second inning a baseball game at Tropicana Field on April 7, 2023 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
Strength of schedule. The answer is strength of schedule. That simple.
In addition to the Red Sox, the Rays have played the Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals and Oakland Athletics. These clubs combined to lose 389 games in 2022 and FanGraphs' preseason projections called for them to lose 360 total games in 2023.
That's an average of 90 losses between the four of them, easily the highest for any group of opponents a team has faced this year:
It ought to go without saying that the Rays won't have it this easy forever, but, well, the Rays won't have it this easy forever. Their remaining strength of schedule is second only to the Red Sox.
It must also be said, however, that the Rays could merely play .500 ball the rest of the way and still finish with the same 86-76 record that they did in 2022, which was good enough for a playoff spot.
And knowing how this team goes about its business, .500 ball the rest of the way might be the worst-case scenario.
The Rays' Run Prevention Must Be Taken Seriously
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 04: Pete Fairbanks #29 and Francisco Mejia #21 of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrate after the game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on April 4, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
This, too, is simple. Keeping runs off the board is just what the Rays do. Among AL teams over the last six seasons, they've ranked second, second, third, second, third and now first in runs allowed per game.
The jump to No. 1 this year was perhaps inevitable, given the staggering depth of this pitching staff. Shane McClahanan, Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen boast a combined 2.45 ERA over the last calendar year, while Zach Eflin was one of the better signings of the winter. The bullpen really doesn't have a weak link, and is especially strong where Pete "Rarebanks" Fairbanks and his 25 consecutive scoreless appearances are concerned.
Granted, the quality of the Rays' competition has made things easier for these guys. And yet, it shouldn't completely overrule what the team's hurlers are doing well as a collective.
Take, for instance, how Rays pitching have permitted an AL-low 81 hard-hit balls so far. It's easy to link that to how they also lead all of MLB in throwing 45.4 percent of their pitches in the "shadow" of the strike zone, which is best understood as the edges of it.
That's where batters average only 86.3 mph on their batted balls, compared to 93 mph in the "heart" of the zone. And that's just when they make contact, as they're about twice as likely to swing and miss in the shadow (27.6 percent) as they are in the heart (14.7 percent).
That Rays hurlers have induced so much soft contact is surely a factor in the team's defense having been the most efficient in MLB. It also helps, though, that the team is doing something akin to gaming the system in the field.
Fully shifted infields may be banned in 2023, but "strategic" alignments—think ones in which one or more fielders are conspicuously shaded in one direction or another—are still technically legal. The Rays seem to know that, as they've thus far used such alignments a league-high 62.5 percent of the time.
Courtesy of these plays by Wander Franco, Brandon Lowe and Taylor Walls, there's visual evidence that this approach is working. There's also compelling statistical evidence, in that the Rays are allowing the AL's lowest average on ground balls and line drives.
The Rays' Run Production Must Be Taken Seriously
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - APRIL 9: Brandon Lowe #8 of the Tampa Bay Rays (C) celebrates his grand slam home run against the Oakland Athletics with Christian Bethancourt #14 (L) and Isaac Paredes #17 during the fourth inning of a baseball game at Tropicana Field on April 9, 2023 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
Harder to believe is the notion that the Rays offense is, well, this good.
This is the same team that ranked 11th in runs and home runs and 12th in OPS among AL clubs last year, so surely it has no business leading in all three departments this year, much less with the most homers of any team through 11 games since the 2000 St. Louis Cardinals.
But if there are just two reasons the '23 Rays offense is deserving of more faith, look no further than their primary middle infielders.
Lowe was a huge part of the Rays' push to 100 wins in 2021, playing in 149 games and slamming 39 home runs. Franco arrived later but found his footing to hit .323 over his last 50 games. Then both ran afoul of the injury bug last season, which especially hurt the Rays in the latter half of the year.
Apropos of that, let's stack up how much the Rays have gotten from Lowe and Franco through 11 games this year compared to the entire second half of last season:
Hey, look at that. It's almost as if the Rays' two most important hitters are healthy and hitting again. Factoring in that Yandy DÃaz (193 wRC+) and Randy Arozarena (172 wRC+) are also off to warm starts, the guys who need to be carrying the offense are doing exactly that.
— Rays on FanDuel Sports Network (@FanDuelSN_Rays) April 9, 2023
That these guys have gotten as much help as they have—the Rays are the only team with as many as 10 players with multiple home runs—is another thing that's probably related to the quality of the competition. But there's also precisely zero difference between the Rays' expected and actual slugging percentages, so clearly they're doing something right.
There are some quality of life improvements that stand out, such as how the Rays have dramatically improved both their strikeout and walk rates from 2022 to 2023 and that they're likewise hitting many more fly balls.
And then there's the more specific thing: the Rays have gone from being bad at hitting fastballs to the best at hitting fastballs.
Call it a case of controlled aggression. Rays hitters are hacking at fastballs less often than they did in 2022, but making more contact and indeed better contact when they do. At 21.9 percent, the rate at which they're hitting fastballs with the ideal combination of launch angle and exit velocity (i.e., "barreling") is the highest yet recorded for a team in the Statcast era.
The Rays Have Already Upended the AL Playoff Race
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - APRIL 10: Members of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrate a win over the Boston Red Sox in a baseball game at Tropicana Field on April 10, 2023 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
OK, so, the history of 11-0 starters is weirdly not a great omen for the Rays. Of the three modern clubs that did it before them, only the 1981 A's so much as won a playoff series.
What does bode well for the Rays, however, is that they've already taken advantage of what could be the most difficult time of the year for their primary competitors for the AL pennant.
In Houston, the Astros are 5-7 in part because the offense hasn't done enough to paper over Jose Altuve's absence with a fractured thumb and in part because Luis GarcÃa seems to miss his old delivery. His velocity is down and he's put up a 7.00 ERA in his two outings, both of which resulted in Ls for Houston.
In New York, the Yankees are faring better at 7-4 but would almost certainly be doing even better if they had Carlos Rodón (elbow strain) and Luis Severino (lat strain) where they instead have Domingo Germán and Clarke Schmidt. The latter two have a 7.53 ERA between them and have started all four of the club's losses.
At the least, the Rays have gained the inside track to one of the two first-round byes in the AL playoffs. At 49.6 percent, their odds of earning one dwarfs those of Houston (29.9 percent) and New York (26.1 percent).
In other words, the Astros and Yankees have a difficult game of catch-up ahead of them.
Let's focus on potential MLB playoff teams and how they can solve their biggest problems as things stand.
MLB Rumors: Andrew McCutchen Interests Dodgers, Rays in Free Agency
Dec 6, 2022
Milwaukee Brewers designated hitter Andrew McCutchen reacts after walking against the Miami Marlins during the sixth inning of a baseball game Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jon Durr)
Coming off a decent season with the Milwaukee Brewers, Andrew McCutchen is on the free-agent radar for two playoff contenders.
Per ESPN's Buster Olney, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays have shown interest in the 2013 National League MVP.
There's been a slow-developing market for McCutchen, which isn't a surprise given the volume of high-end free agents teams will likely want to act quickly on.
The Dodgers have been connected to Aaron Judge, though it doesn't sound like they will be willing to give him a significant long-term contract.
Per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, Los Angeles is believed to want Judge on a "short-term, high-dollar deal."
In the same report, Rosenthal noted Judge will likely end up getting a nine-year deal from whatever team he ultimately signs with. The New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants are considered the favorites for the 2022 American League MVP.
McCutchen certainly isn't at Judge's level, but he would be better than a fallback plan for the Dodgers. He would also provide a boost to a Rays lineup that lacked thump last season.
The five-time All-Star only hit .237/.316/.384 in 2022, but his OPS+ of 99 was roughly league average. His 17 homers would have ranked third on the Rays in 2022 behind Randy Arozarena and Isaac Paredes (both hit 20).
The Rays and Dodgers both have openings in the outfield to offer McCutchen a potential starting spot. They can also rotate him in the designated-hitter spot to keep his bat in the lineup and take pressure off his legs over the course of the season.
If McCutchen, 36, wants to go to the best spot to win a World Series, the Dodgers could have a leg up coming off a 111-win regular season. They lost to the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series.
The Rays took a step back last season with an 86-76 record after winning 100 games in 2021, but they did make the playoffs as a wild-card team in the AL.
MLB Rumors: Former Phillies Pitcher Zach Eflin Agrees to 3-Year, $40M Rays Contract
Dec 2, 2022
HOUSTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 05: Zach Eflin #56 of the Philadelphia Phillies delivers a pitch against the Houston Astros during the seventh inning in Game Six of the 2022 World Series at Minute Maid Park on November 05, 2022 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zach Eflin and the Tampa Bay Rays are in agreement on a three-year, $40 million deal, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
Eflin had spent his entire seven-year career with the Phillies before signing with the Rays.
Zach Eflin’s deal with Tampa Bay, as @Joelsherman1 said, is for $40 million over three years. It’s the largest free agent contract in Rays history. Eflin, 28, grew up in Orlando and will join Tyler Glasnow, Shane McClanahan and Drew Rasmussen in a fantastic Tampa Bay rotation.
Eflin declined the $15 million mutual option on his contract with the Phillies for the 2023 season last month to become a free agent.
The Phillies acquired Eflin in the trade that sent Jimmy Rollins to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014. He made his major league debut in 2016 and served as a starting pitcher for most of his Philadelphia career.
However, Eflin has been plagued by knee injuries throughout his career, and after missing all of August with a knee ailment, he returned to the Phillies as a reliever for the latter stages of the 2022 campaign.
In 20 appearances during the 2022 season, including 13 starts, Eflin posted a 3-5 record, 4.04 ERA and 1.12 WHIP with 65 strikeouts across 75.2 innings. He went on to become a go-to member of the Phillies bullpen during the postseason.
In 10 playoff appearances out of the pen, Eflin posted a 3.38 ERA and 12 strikeouts across 10.2 innings. While he was effective as a reliever, he prefers to be a starter moving forward.
"No, I wanna start, man, I’m a starter," Eflin said in November when asked if he could envision himself as a reliever moving forward, per Tim Kelly of Phillies Nation. "I feel like I’m a purebread starter. I think at least I proved that I can relieve, if need be. But I’m a starter through and through, man."
If the Rays envision Eflin as a starter, he'll join a talented rotation that includes Shane McClanahan, Tyler Glasnow, Drew Rasmussen and Jeffrey Springs. It's unclear exactly where he'd slide into that rotation, but it would likely be somewhere behind McClanahan and Glasnow.
Jacob deGrom Rumors: Rays in Contact with Mets FA; 'Pessimistic' About Chances
Nov 30, 2022
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 08: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Jacob deGrom #48 of the New York Mets in action against the San Diego Padres during game two of the NL Wild Card Series at Citi Field on October 08, 2022 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. The Mets defeated the Padres 7-3. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
The Tampa Bay Rays have reportedly made contact with starting pitcher Jacob deGrom in free agency, but they aren't necessarily expecting to be able to sign him.
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Rays have reached out to deGrom, however, they are "pessimistic" about their chances of signing him since they figure to get priced out of the market.
Rosenthal noted that deGrom is expected to land a contract worth more than $40 million per year over at least three years, which would make up about half of the club-record $83.9 million payroll the Rays had last season.
This reportedly isn't the first time the Rays have made at least some attempt to land a big fish in free agency, as they dipped their toe in the Freddie Freeman waters last year before the superstar first baseman signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Per ESPN's Buster Olney, the Rays offered Freeman deals of $140 million over six years or $150 million over seven years, but he instead signed a six-year, $162 million contract with L.A.
The Rays ultimately weren't too far off on their offers for Freeman, but it is hard to imagine them being willing to spend anywhere close to $40 million per season for deGrom, especially given his injury history.
Rosenthal noted that other aspects would likely have to appeal to deGrom in order for the Rays to land him, including pitching in his home state of Florida, not having to deal with state income tax and getting to pitch under highly touted pitching coach Kyle Snyder.
Regardless, other teams interested in deGrom will be able and willing to pay him "considerably" more, according to Rosenthal.
Several teams have been rumored to be in on deGrom, with Mike Puma of the New York Post reporting recently that the New York Mets would like to retain him, while the New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Dodgers and Chicago Cubs have also shown interest.
Puma noted that deGrom would like to stay with the Mets as long as there isn't a "significant discrepancy" between the Mets' offer and offers made by other interested teams.
The 34-year-old deGrom has spent his entire nine-year MLB career with the Mets, earning four All-Star selections, one National League ERA title and two NL Cy Young Awards during that time.
Overall, deGrom is 82-57 in his career with a 2.52 ERA and 0.99 WHIP, plus he has struck out 1,607 batters in 1,326 innings.
He has not started more than 15 games in a single season since 2019, which marked his third consecutive season of at least 30 starts.
After getting off to a late start last season due to injury, deGrom ended up making 11 starts and went 5-4 with a 3.08 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and 102 strikeouts over 64.1 innings.
The ERA was deGrom's highest since 2017, but his WHIP remained elite and his strikeout rate matched a career best set one year earlier, suggesting that deGrom remained a top-flight starter when healthy.
Bringing in an ace of deGrom's caliber would be a potential game-changer for a Rays team that often has to piece things together with openers and their bullpen, but it is easy to envision them getting priced out of the market.
Mets owner Steve Cohen has been outspoken about his willingness to spend huge money in order to field a World Series contender, and letting a prized player slip away to the Rays would represent bad optics, which is something Cohen would almost certainly like to avoid.
MLB Rumors: Brandon Nimmo Drawing Interest from Blue Jays, Rays, More in Free Agency
Nov 25, 2022
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 31: Brandon Nimmo #9 of the New York Mets reacts after making a catch during the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field on August 31, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Outfielder Brandon Nimmo is reportedly developing a significant market for his services in MLB free agency.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the New York Mets would like to retain Nimmo, but they will have to beat out several other interested teams in order to keep him in the fold.
Heyman noted that the San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays are "among many teams" that are in on Nimmo.
Nimmo, 29, has spent his entire seven-year MLB career with the Mets and has been a regular in their lineup since 2018.
He is arguably coming off the best season of his career in 2022, as he slashed .274/.367/.433 and set career highs with 16 home runs, 64 RBI and 102 runs scored, primarily as the Mets' leadoff hitter.
The lefty batter also played all 151 games in center field last season after seeing action in both left field and right field in previous seasons.
Durability has been one of the biggest question marks for Nimmo throughout his career, as injuries cost him significant time in 2019 and 2021, but his 151 games played last season were a career high.
Given his status as a leadoff hitter who excels at getting on base, Nimmo would represent a significant loss for the Mets. While Mets owner Steve Cohen has been outspoken about his willingness to spend big money in free agency, New York has some company when it comes to signing Nimmo.
A pair of playoff teams out of the American League East in the Blue Jays and Rays would both benefit from Nimmo's arrival, as would the Giants, who are looking to return to the playoffs after going a disappointing 81-81 last season.
The Rays typically aren't big spenders, which could mean they will be priced out of the market for Nimmo, especially since the Blue Jays, Giants and Mets all seem willing and able to cut some big checks.
Toronto has a hole in the outfield after trading Teoscar Hernández to the Seattle Mariners, while Nimmo may be more of a backup plan for the Giants if they can't pry reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge away from the New York Yankees in free agency.
As for the Mets, they will likely have to dip into the free-agent market to find a replacement for Nimmo if he signs elsewhere since Starling Marte and Mark Canha are the only established outfielders on the roster for 2023 as of now.
