Inside The Mets

Mets Fan Favorite Outfielder Called Fit For NL Foe

The New York Mets have competition when it comes to signing a beloved free agent outfielder.

Grant Young

Oct 20, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Mets outfielder Jesse Winker (3) kneels on the field before playing against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game six of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images
Oct 20, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Mets outfielder Jesse Winker (3) kneels on the field before playing against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game six of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images / Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images
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On July 28, the New York Mets acquired outfielder Jesse Winker from the Washington Nationals in a deal that sent former Mets' No. 17 prospect Tyler Stuart to Washington.

This was a polarizing trade among Mets fans. While Winker's talent is undeniable, some of his past antics toward fans (like when he mockingly waved to the New York crowd several times during a 2019 game when he played for the Cincinnati Reds) made it so many weren't keen to see Winker in Queens.

However, Winker's infectious energy and clear positive clubhouse presence for the Mets after that trade turned him into a fan favorite in New York.

Now Winker is a free agent. While there have been some rumblings about the Mets' desire to re-sign him, a December 28 article from MLB.com asserts that he's a "realistic" free agency fit for the aforementioned Reds.

"It would be a reunion that would bring the 31-year-old lefty hitter back to where he started his career. The Reds payroll has limited flexibility but there should be enough room for a lefty bat like Winker's if they can't swing a trade elsewhere," wrote MLB.com writer Mark Sheldon.

"A 2021 All-Star for Cincinnati, where he was a homegrown outfielder from 2017-21, he struggled for a couple of years with other teams. But Winker had a bounce-back season in 2024 for the Nationals and Mets, batting .253 with a .764 OPS and 14 home runs while being worth 2.0 WAR over 145 games.

"Winker isn't gifted defensively, but he can play both corners and knows Great American Ball Park well," Sheldon added.

Regardless of whether Winker ends up with the Mets, the Reds, or some other team, he'll likely never be jeered at Citi Field again.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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