Nimmo wants Mets to embrace villain role: Let's 'be that polarizing team'

The New York Mets will have a target on their backs all season after a winter of lavish spending, and Brandon Nimmo is perfectly fine with that.

In fact, the 29-year-old is hoping his club embraces its newfound role of villainy.

"I want to be that polarizing team," Nimmo told SNY's John Harper. "I've dealt with that personally throughout my career, because of the way I sprint to first base on walks."

He added: "So, being the team people hate will be fine, too. I hope the whole team will embrace it. I know the guys last year had a lot of bulldog fight and grit in them. We played with a chip on our shoulder. I hope we'll have that same attitude."

After watching his team win 101 games in 2021 - the Mets' best record in 33 years - owner Steve Cohen made sure his franchise was the center of attention all winter by spending almost $500 million on free agents. Some of the stars he lured to Flushing included reigning AL Cy Young winner Justin Verlander and Japanese ace Kodai Senga. He also kept both Nimmo and star closer Edwin Diaz in the fold with nine-figure contracts.

Cohen's spending blew through all levels of the competitive balance tax, including the new highest tier colloquially known as the "Cohen Tax." The Mets' Opening Day payroll is projected to come in at over $369 million - almost $70 million ahead of the next-highest spender - with a $99-million luxury-tax bill for good measure.

Baseball fans in New York are used to seeing this kind of money spent - but it's usually the crosstown Yankees making those headlines. The Mets' payroll had never crossed the $200-million mark before Cohen bought the team in 2021.

The Mets have a long way to go before stealing the Yankees' "Evil Empire" nickname in the hearts and minds of many within baseball, but their wild offseason certainly changed the perception of the team across the sport. Nimmo, a lifelong Met, is excited about the fact that his club might have surpassed their civic rivals to become the envy of other fan bases.

"With Steve making a lot of splashes in the offseason, there are a lot of similarities. We're doing what the Yankees always used to do: We're going for it," Nimmo said. "Growing up I rooted for the Rockies, but I had friends who were diehard Yankee fans. I'd say to them, 'You're just a Yankees fan because they're buying their players.' It wasn't so much that I didn't like them. But they were portrayed as the Evil Empire and I was like, 'Someone go beat them.'

"We're kind of that team now. I know Steve wants to build, he wants to make the minor-league system one that produces great players, but for now, he's like, 'This is we've gotta do it. We've gotta compete.' And I'm really happy to be a part of that."