Rumour Nest: Blue Jays “known to have interest” in Brandon Nimmo, could be in the mix for Cody Bellinger if non-tendered
1 year ago
After trading fan-favourite Teoscar Hernández for reliever Erik Swanson and pitching prospect Adam Macko, it’s evident that the Jays aren’t done.
So of course, rumours have been flying left and right about who could replace the Hernández sized hole in the outfield. Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins noted that George Springer would be open to moving to right field. This means that the Jays may be looking at signing (or trading) for a centre fielder who bats left handed. Let’s run through a few names linked to the Blue Jays.
Brandon Nimmo:
Per Andy Martino of SportsNet New York, 29-year-old centre fielder Brandon Nimmo has been meeting teams face-to-face…
The Blue Jays have been linked to Nimmo, and they come to mind as one of the teams who have potentially told him that they would be willing to shift their centre fielder, George Springer in this instance, over to a corner outfield spot to accommodate him.
In fact, this would be my preferred signing. The former New York Met centre fielder slashed .274/.367/.433 with 16 homers in 673 plate appearances in 2022. Unlike Hernández, Nimmo only struck out 17.2% of the time, while walking 10.5% of the time. His 5.4 fWAR would rank first for Blue Jays batters in 2022.
Another key aspect of centre field is defense, as it’s one of the most demanding positions on the field. In 2022, Nimmo had a -3 Defensive Runs Saved, while owning a six Outs Above Average rating. For his career, his DRS is -2, while his OAA is 15.
The difference between the two stats come from his arm, as DRS takes it into account, while OAA does not. He has great range and speed, but the arm is slightly weak for the position. With that said, he is a defensive upgrade over Springer (and Hernández), and it would allow Springer to move into right field.
The Mets extended Nimmo a qualifying offer, meaning that the Jays would lose their second round pick, as well as $500,000 in international free agent bonus pool money. While that sucks for me (less to write about), the loss of the pick should not factor in the Jays decision to sign Nimmo.
Cody Bellinger:
This rumour comes from Jon Morosi, so take this with a grain of salt, although he was correct about Toronto and Seattle linking up for a trade.
If there’s any player in the league that I root for to return to form, it’s 27-year-old Cody Bellinger. In 2019, Bellinger had a .305/.406/.629 slashing line with 47 homers in 660 plate appearances. He had a 14.4 BB% and 16.4 K%, winning the National League MVP with an fWAR of 7.7.
Fast forward to 2022, and Bellinger slashed .210/.265/.389 with 19 homers, a 6.9 BB%, and 27.3 K% in 550 plate appearances. While he still had a 1.7 fWAR, the past three seasons have been rough for the former MVP winner, mostly caused by injuries.
Per MLB trade rumours, Cody Bellinger is projected to make $18.1 million in arbitration this season, and could very well be a non-tender from the Dodgers. We’ll find out tomorrow if the Dodgers are cutting him loose.
Signing Bellinger would be a bit of a reclamation project, so I don’t think he’d be signed as a starter. However, I’d have time for him as an improved fourth outfielder depending on the payroll hit.
What we know:
We know for a fact that the Jays will be looking to acquire another outfielder. Who it has yet to be determined, but my best guess and speculation would be Brandon Nimmo. There’s stil the possibility that the Jays allow Springer to play in centre, while signing Michael Conforto or Michael Brantly in the outfield.
Either way, it’ll be an exciting end to November!
As always, you can follow me on Twitter @Brennan_L_D
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