Brandon Nimmo hints Mets want to overtake Yankees in big way

New York Mets co-owners Steve and Alex Cohen earned a big win over New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner when they convinced All-Star outfielder Juan Soto to leave the Yankees for the Mets earlier this offseason. 

During a recent chat with Tim Healey of Newsday, Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo indicated the Cohens are looking to rule New York baseball for more than just a handful of news cycles. 

"We’re not going to try to be the stepbrother to the Yankees," Nimmo said about the Mets. "We’re not going to be the second team in New York anymore. We want to be New York’s team. We want to command respect for the Mets name. And I think that total buy-in from [the Cohens] has been the biggest difference I’ve seen."

Steve and Alex Cohen have repeatedly shown they're willing to be responsible for the most expensive rosters in baseball as they try to help the Mets claim their first World Series championship since 1986. Along with outbidding Steinbrenner for Soto, the Cohens have given massive contracts to noteworthy players such as Nimmo, shortstop Francisco Lindor, closer Edwin Diaz, ace Justin Verlander and fellow starter Max Scherzer since 2021.

"We definitely are not afraid to bring the best players and the best staff and the best facilities here now," Nimmo said. "If it is a matter of what will help the team become better, Steve and Alex are going to be all in on it. So the end goal is always a World Series. And when they win their World Series — and we would love to do it this year — but when they win their World Series, I don’t think it’s going to be like, 'OK, that’s it.' They’re going to say, 'Let’s go win another one.'"

Steve Cohen made it known in November 2020 that he would consider it "slightly disappointing" if the Mets didn't win a World Series title "in the next three to five years." As of early Tuesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Amazins tied for fourth among the betting favorites at +1200 odds to be the last team standing this coming fall. 

The Mets open the 2025 season with a three-game series at the Houston Astros that gets underway on Thursday (4:10 p.m. ET).