Former Mets captain offers big endorsement of Brandon Nimmo

Outfielder Brandon Nimmo has repeatedly been mentioned as a potential New York Mets team captain since he and the club agreed to an eight-year contract reportedly worth $162M in December 2022.

During SNY's broadcast of New York's 2-0 win over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night, former Mets captain and beloved club icon David Wright spoke highly of what Nimmo has offered the team during its resurgence this season.

"I will say, 'You see Brandon Nimmo, that is the way you should play the game and that is the way you should go about your business,' so I can’t say enough good things," Wright said about conversations he's had with his children, as shared by Joey Chandler of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com.

Nimmo and shortstop Francisco Lindor have been credited for starting the Mets' new tradition of having team dinners on road trips that seemingly helped save what appeared in early June to be a lost season for the organization. While the Mets ended June 2 at 24-35, the club entered Wednesday's MLB action at 57-50 and in possession of a wild-card playoff berth.

Earlier this month, Nimmo openly challenged Mets owner Steve Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns to make "additions" ahead of this past Tuesday's MLB trade deadline. Stearns obliged without sacrificing his long-term plans of building for a future beyond 2024.

"It is really fun to see how he has evolved as a player, but also a leader and a teammate," Wright said about Nimmo. "I can’t say enough good things about Brandon. He is one of my favorite players that I played with and one of my favorite players now to watch."

Similar to Nimmo, Wright was a one-club MLB man and featured only for the Mets from 2004 through the 2018 season. He knows plenty about having a special connection to the team that is looking to remain one of the positive surprises of the 2024 campaign.

"As I get older, I feel like I’m getting more sentimental and emotional every time I walk into this place," Wright said about Citi Field. "The reception, the reaction. It makes me feel so great and love the fact I was a lifelong Met."

As of Wednesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Mets at -115 betting odds to make the playoffs this fall. Nimmo helping the team earn a postseason berth could go a long way in determining if the Mets name Wright's successor as captain before February 2025.