Mets Rumors: Albert Almora Jr., NYM Agree to Contract After 5 Seasons with Cubs

The New York Mets have added to their outfield depth by reportedly agreeing to a deal with former Chicago Cubs center fielder Albert Almora Jr.

Per Ken Rosenthal and Andy McCullough of The Athletic, the Mets and Almora have agreed to terms pending completion of a physical. 

As Joel Sherman of the New York Post noted, Almora will likely serve a platoon role in center field along with Brandon Nimmo.

The 26-year-old owns a .280/.332/.402 career slash line against left-handed pitching in his career. He's also been a solid defender, with six defensive runs saved in 2,612.1 innings as a center fielder, per FanGraphs.

Almora became a free agent in December when the Cubs decided to non-tender him a contract coming off a disappointing 2020 that saw him get optioned to their alternate training site. He hit .167/.265/.200 in 28 games.

The Mets used Nimmo as their primary center fielder last season, though he was part of a platoon alongside Jake Marisnick. Nimmo posted a .280 batting average, tied his career high with a .404 on-base percentage and set a career high with a .484 slugging percentage in 2020.

The left-handed hitting Nimmo has a career OPS 106 points higher against right-handed pitching (.864) than against lefties (.758).