CHICAGO — On the day the New York Mets acquired Jesse Winker last month in a trade-deadline deal, some of the team’s high-ranking officials met with the veteran to clarify expectations.
They told Winker of his new duties, that he would no longer be an everyday player and would instead be asked to produce within an outfield rotation. He’d see at-bats in both corner outfield spots, probably a little time at designated hitter and definitely action off the bench as a pinch hitter. Not the most glamorous job, but an important role on a team hoping to make the playoffs.
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“Perfect,” Winker said he told the group. “Let’s go.”
Ever since, Winker has expertly fulfilled those responsibilities.
“You’re getting traded to a team that is right in the middle of a playoff hunt, and that’s what you dream about as a player,” Winker said. “So it’s very simple. You’ll do whatever it takes, whatever is asked of you on any given day. I’m just so thankful to be here. It’s been amazing.”
As the Mets continue to play games that carry more meaning each day, Winker keeps providing big hit after big hit. Last week against the Baltimore Orioles, he hit a pinch-hit walk-off home run. On Thursday, he hit a one-out double in the ninth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks, which set up Jose Iglesias’ game-winning hit. Things weren’t as dramatic in the Mets’ 5-1 win Friday night over the Chicago White Sox, but Winker nonetheless kept rolling by going 3-for-4 with two runs and one RBI.
Despite the White Sox (31-105) threatening to become baseball’s all-time worst team, the game received billing as a must-win for the Mets (71-64). At this point, pretty much all of them can be described that way. The Atlanta Braves won earlier Friday, so the Mets still trail them by three games for the final playoff spot. Winker — along with a two-run home run from J.D. Martinez and a solid start from Tylor Megill (one run, 5 1/3 innings fresh from Triple A) — helped make sure of it.
After leading off the second inning with a single, Winker scored the Mets’ first run to tie the score at 1. An inning later, his RBI double gave the Mets a 2-1 lead. They wouldn’t need any more offense.
Once Winker reached first base after hitting a single with one out in the eighth inning, Tyrone Taylor replaced him as a pinch runner. They embraced with a double high-five. Winker runs well. Taylor runs better. Also, Taylor is the much better defender, and later in the eighth inning, he made the kind of catch against the netting in foul territory that would draw envy from Spider-Man.
Omg Tyrone Taylor!!! pic.twitter.com/0TExJapo0O
— New York Mets (@Mets) August 31, 2024
So goes the Mets’ outfield rotation, where the only one locked into a permanent role is left fielder Brandon Nimmo. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza juggles time for everyone else — Starling Marte, Harrison Bader, Jeff McNeil (sometimes when Iglesias is at second base), Taylor and Winker — by considering matchups, rest, defensive alignment and other factors. With the group, Mendoza stresses communication and believes in being as transparent and straightforward as possible. That’s one big part of why it’s worked. The other big part is acceptance and readiness from players.
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Winker epitomizes buy-in. He’s 31. Eight years of major-league experience. Playing every day with the Washington Nationals, his team prior to the trade to New York, having a strong bounce-back season after he performed miserably a year ago. After this season, he will be a free agent. From an individual perspective, he lost a lot of playing time and still has much at stake. And yet: He said he loves the situation he finds himself in.
“The vibes here are awesome,” Winker said. “It’s been a ton of fun, for sure.”
The Mets’ front office figured Winker would react this way, that over a two-month stretch they would likely get close to the best version of him. They felt strongly about the clubhouse culture they already had, believing that there was enough leadership to steer newcomers toward fun and accountability. They also did their homework on the player; Winker had known several Mets players over the years such as Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, Taylor and others.
“He’s fit right in,” Mendoza said. “It seems like he’s been here the whole year.”
Asked how Winker has handled his role, Taylor added: “It speaks a lot about his character and the type of person he is. But I knew that, I knew what to expect with him coming in.”
When Winker first spoke to reporters last month following his trade to the Mets, he mentioned that over the years he has become more mature.
Would the Winker from, say, five years ago have adapted as well to the role with the Mets?
“Yeah, definitely not,” Winker said.
Allow him to explain.
“You experience different things in this game, and it’s your job to learn from them and continue to get better,” Winker said. “I had a goal going into last offseason where I wanted to lose a bunch of weight and get in better shape and play at a weight where I haven’t really played at before. My goal coming into the year was to stay at that. So that’s a very short goal that I can think of off the top. But really, man, it’s your job to learn and keep growing. I don’t think you’re ever supposed to stop doing that.”
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Winker’s job with the Mets features some complications. For many, it’s a challenge to stay prepared for one at-bat that may never come in a game or stay ready when the lineup sometimes contains the same names but oftentimes doesn’t. Winker’s outlook on the situation is distinctly uncomplicated.
That’s why it has worked.
“When you’re a part of something that’s bigger than yourself, it’s easy,” Winker said. “We’re in the middle of a playoff push. I’ll do whatever, whatever is asked of me.”
(Photo: Quinn Harris / Getty Images)
Will Sammon is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering the New York Mets and Major League Baseball. A native of Queens, New York, Will previously covered the Milwaukee Brewers and Florida Gators football for The Athletic, starting in 2018. Before that, he covered Mississippi State for The Clarion-Ledger, Mississippi’s largest newspaper. Follow Will on Twitter @WillSammon
