Legendary homers Nimmo and Lindor show the benefits of Steve Cohen’s ownership

The vagaries of the baseball season can erase the light years between franchises and their respective infrastructures. So there’s a parallel universe in which the Wilpon family never sells the Mets and the franchise still exorcises at least some of its Atlanta-based demons, as the Mets did on Earth 1 on Monday by settling with a liberating 8: 7 win clinched a playoff spot in the first game of a doubleheader.

(This is still the Mets, so an NLCS rematch with the Braves, where Atlanta gained home-field advantage as they advanced to the playoffs, won the season series with the Mets, and tied the game with a 3-0 win in Game 2 fifth place Monday’s doubleheader game – proving pivotal and creating even more demons for the Mets, is certainly in play)

But those demons wouldn’t have been exorcised this way — with two founding players further establishing themselves as the Mets of the generation by hitting two of the team’s greatest home runs in history — because Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor wouldn’t be on the 2024 Mets there if that were the case The franchise was not purchased by Steve Cohen in 2020.

It wouldn’t have even been a consideration for the Wilpons to sign Nimmo — whose three-run second-deck home run capped a six-run eighth inning — to an eight-year, $162 million contract after he hit free agency in 2022 The post-Madoff years were limited to selecting a homegrown player to build around for the long term.

And it would have been justifiable not to keep Nimmo, regardless of ownership. Nimmo, who reached free agency at age 29, played in more than 100 games only twice in his first seven seasons, in which he never reached 20 home runs or 70 RBIs.

But Nimmo paid too much for a late bloomer with high character and a track record that not only dominated New York but also immersed himself in the Mets experience – disguised immediately after the press conference announcing his deal on December 15, 2022 Taking an elf and handing out presents at the Mets’ annual Christmas party for local kids is something major franchises should do, even if the back end of the investment probably won’t age well. And now Nimmo — who delivered the game-winning RBI in the Mets’ last two wins since Monday — will likely be the last Mets player to ever wear No. 1. 9.

Lindor was acquired before his walk year and signed to a 10-year extension worth $341 million before he even played a regular season game. So it’s the biggest understatement that he would never have been taken over by the Wilpons. But Lindor’s emergence as the Mets’ leader alongside Nimmo is also evidence of a new ownership brand.

Like Bobby Bonilla a generation before, Lindor came to New York with a smile as wide as his reputation was impeccable. But like Bonilla in Pittsburgh with Jim Leyland, Lindor began his career in a small market, playing for a manager who was inducted into the Hall of Fame and gained instant respect.

And like Bonilla, Lindor had a miserable first year in the Big Apple that called into question his maturity and ability to handle a large media market. Lindor and his doubles partner Jeff McNeil almost argued in a tunnel during a match in May 2021, after which Lindor insisted that he and McNeil just wanted to find out whether they had seen a rat or a raccoon. In late August, Lindor and his good friend Javier Baez, whom the Mets had acquired from the Chicago Cubs weeks earlier, began giving a thumbs-down sign in response to fans who had booed the team during a disappointing season they got base hits.

Instead of cleaning up after a 1992 season that inspired “The Worst Team Money Could Buy,” the Mets — averse to the idea of ​​recognizing sunk costs even as Nelson Doubleday shared the team with Fred Wilpon — kept Bonilla surrounded by the miserable Eddie Murray. the immature Bret Saberhagen and the toxic Vince Coleman. The Mets lost 103 games in 1993, still the only 100-loss season for the franchise since the 1960s, and Bonilla’s reputation was sealed even though he hit 34 home runs.

Only Cohen, whose boldness has waned somewhat over the past three seasons, knows whether he felt buyer’s remorse after Lindor’s tough debut. But instead of relying on a bad mix – or bad-mouthing Lindor a la Wilpon with future franchise players Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes and David Wright – the Cohen-era Mets surrounded Lindor with a better support system by drafting Baez as Free Agent Walk, signed a cavalry of respected veterans as free agents and replaced the well-meaning but inexperienced Luis Rojas with Buck Showalter.

Lindor, who said in 2022 that he felt pandemic-related media restrictions played a role in his difficult adjustment during the 2021 season, would likely never get the most out of Bonilla. But under Carlos Mendoza, another first-time manager, Lindor has emerged this season as a reliable talker and team leader – the Mets were 22-33 when Lindor called a players-only meeting on May 29, but led the majors with 67 -40 on record afterwards – who has clearly learned from his experiences in 2021. For example, no one has said what the Mets’ batting motion means after a hit, which is probably a good idea.

Of course, remaining in the Hall of Fame at a premier defensive position certainly helps restore Lindor’s reputation, as does the potentially season-saving two-run home run he hit in the ninth inning on Monday – the second desperation to elation in the ninth inning The last three weeks have been a blast for Lindor, who ended Bowden Francis’ no-hit effort by hitting a leadoff home run for a six-run win in a 6-2 win over the Blue Jays on Sept. 11. started the inning.

That, too, could have saved the season for the Mets, who finished in a three-way tie for the final two wild card spots with the Braves and Diamondbacks at 89-73, but made it into the playoffs by winning the season series against Arizona. No such drama was needed for either Lindor or Nimmo on Tuesday, as the duo finished 1-for-9 with two runs scored as the Mets overcame two deficits to beat the Brewers 8-4 in the opening game of a best-of-three NL- Wildcard series.

Lindor and Nimmo will certainly be needed again if the Mets want to make the playoffs, and regardless of how the team performs this month, the Braves still have a three-decade head start when it comes to building the kind of player development machine which Cohen envisions for the Mets. But as Monday proved again, shortcuts to lasting relevance and annual trips to the playoffs seem much more realistic than they did months ago, thanks to two players who wouldn’t have joined the Mets years ago under any owner other than Cohen.