Nimmo thrilled to don orange and blue for long haul

NEW YORK -- As Brandon Nimmo stepped in front of a Citi Field podium for a photo op on Thursday, a team staffer handed him his old No. 9 jersey and a Mets cap. “They should know my size,” Nimmo said, chuckling as he stretched the cap over his head. As expected, it fit.

So much else about Thursday’s introductory press conference was familiar to Nimmo, a member of the Mets organization for 11 years who just signed up for eight more, inking a $162 million contract to remain with the team. A television to one side of the room pictured a smiling Nimmo next to the caption: “Welcome back Brandon.” Before the proceedings began, Nimmo bantered with local media members about weather patterns in his native Wyoming.

It was almost as if his brief departure from the organization had never occurred.

“You try to envision your life in other places and with other organizations,” Nimmo said of his six-week sojourn as a free agent. “But toward the end, the Mets just made it very, very clear that they wanted me back.”

The eight-year commitment gives Nimmo a chance to do what few other prominent players have in recent history: become a Met for life. The last to accomplish that was David Wright, who became the fourth captain in franchise history after signing his own eight-year contract in 2012. Nimmo could follow a similar path, though the captainship will be a discussion for another day; on Thursday, the talk was more about how his commitment makes such conversations possible.

“One of the things that we talk about when we’re going to extend a longer-term deal with a player is, ‘Can we trust him with the contract? Can we trust his intentions? Can we trust the heart of the player?’” Mets general manager Billy Eppler said. “And so many people here think the world of him."

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Hearing those involved with the deal speak about it on Thursday, one could easily believe that a long-term marriage between the Mets and Nimmo was inevitable. The reality is that Nimmo, as one of the game’s most sought-after free agents, had many suitors prepared to sign him. Last week, Nimmo attended the Winter Meetings in San Diego to speak in person with representatives from the Giants and Yankees, among other teams. He brought with him six-page outlines of topics he intended to discuss. The meetings, Nimmo’s agent Scott Boras said, lasted four hours.

All the while, Nimmo knew that he would be thrilled to return to Queens -- a place where he feels loyal to the team that drafted him and the borough that embraced him. Nimmo is the last remaining link to the lean years of last decade, when the Mets dramatically slashed payroll and routinely finished near the bottom of the National League East. Now, he is a primary member of the new-look Mets, who are defined by owner Steve Cohen’s free-spending ways.

In addition to $162 million for Nimmo, Cohen has already shelled out $102 million to Edwin Díaz, $86.6 million to Justin Verlander, $75 million to Kodai Senga (the club has not yet confirmed the deal), $26 million to José Quintana and $10 million to David Robertson. Additional signings could still occur.

“It’s been eye-opening,” said Nimmo, who credited the Mets’ spending spree as a major factor behind his decision to return. “It’s been crazy and a little bit surreal to go through. … It’s been really quite a change, and I’m very proud to be a part of this organization.”

Once a part, still a part, perhaps forever a part. After exchanging his jersey for an elf costume to participate in the Mets’ holiday party for local schoolchildren, Nimmo talked openly about his dreams of winning a World Series and even one day having his number retired at Citi Field. Earlier in the day, Nimmo had grinned while buttoning up his No. 9 threads, saying: “It feels good to put this jersey back on and know it’s not coming off.”

This outcome may not have been inevitable, but for Nimmo, it was quite obviously preferred.

“That’s always a huge motivator in free agency is, ‘Where can I go and compete for a World Series title?’” Nimmo said. “The great part is, I didn’t have to go anywhere.”