The New York Mets needed help in their outfield and in their clubhouse; enter Wilmington native Trot Nixon.  The Mets picked up the 34 year old veteran in exchange for cash or a player to be named later from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday in a move to give aid to their beat up outfield and will hope his reputation of being a dirt dog will be infectious.

The Mets’ Moises Alou’s calf strain wasn’t getting better and on Friday he joined fellow outfielder Ryan Church on the DL.  Backup outfielder Angel Pagan has also been out due to injury, forcing the Mets to make a move.

Nixon hit just .251 with three homers and 31 RBIs in 99 games last season with Cleveland and was not resigned in the off-season.  Nixon signed with Arizona, but failed to make the Diamondbacks roster at the end of spring training this year.  While at Triple-A Tucson, Nixon hit .309 with 10 homers and 31 RBIs in 58 games.  With the depth of the Arizona outfield, Nixon was expendable, and will get another shot at the Bigs in New York.

Nixon has a .275 career batting average with 136 home runs in 11 big league seasons, including the 2004 season in which he helped the Boston Red Sox win the World Series. He had his best year in 2003, when he batted .306 with a career-high 28 homers and 87 RBIs.

Speculation is that Nixon can still hit righties, and maybe some of his leadership and post-season experience will help the Mets.  They have been disappointing this season and their manager is listed as day-to-day, which is never a good thing.  Nixon has always proven himself to be a true professional, and with the Mets searching for some good chemistry, Nixon’s presence alone may help pick up this slumping team.  It certainly can’t hurt.

Photo courtesy Cleveland Indians