Yankees impacted in non-Cody Bellinger way by unexpected Mets-Rangers trade

The New York Mets sending Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Marcus Semien is one of those blockbusters that will have far-reaching implications. The New York Yankees and Cody Bellinger are two of the most directly impacted outside of the Mets' and Rangers' organizations.

The Mets have long been expected to be among the Yankees' chief competitors for Bellinger's services, and that was before they opened a massive black hole in left field. Kyle Tucker is now in play for them as well.

But there's another potential impact this deal will have on the Yankees, and it's one that could be seen as a positive development.

The Mets' blockbuster trade could have implications that will help the Yankees in an unexpected way

Both the Mets and the Yankees are expected to participate in the relief market in a big way this winter. The Yankees' bullpen finished with a 4.37 ERA this year, which ranked 23rd in the league, and while the Mets' unit appeared slightly better, coming in 15th with a 3.93 mark, that number was substantially aided by Edwin Diaz's razor-thin 1.63 ERA.

Diaz is demanding a contract similar to the five-year, $102 million deal that he opted out of, and the Mets would like to keep him, but at the end of the day even their budget has a limit.

In addition to left field, they have to figure out if a reunion with Pete Alonso is in the cards or find another impact solution at first base. They also need a top-of-the-rotation starter and potentially an upgrade at third base.

That doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room to also add the most expensive reliever in the game, and recent reports have them setting their sights on slightly cheaper options like Robert Suarez and, hilariously, Devin Williams.

That could open the door for the Yankees to swipe Diaz out from under their noses. Diaz would not only be the Yankees' best closer since Mariano Rivera hung up his spikes, but he'd make the bullpen as a whole better, with David Bednar shifting to the eighth inning and everyone else getting knocked down a peg in the pecking order.

At the end of the day, their quest to clear the five years they had remaining on Nimmo's contract led to them taking on even more salary over the next three years with Semien, to the tune of about $6 million per. If that ends up costing them Diaz, it will be worth questioning whether it was all worth it. If it sends Diaz to the Bronx, it could certainly be looked back on as a major blunder in a couple of years.

Either way, the Yankees are affected by the Mets' possible new relief pursuits, and it could push them to toward the highest-priced option in Diaz rather than a more affordable one like Suarez.