Brandon Nimmo reveals why Mets haven't worn black or blue uniforms yet this season
With the exception of one Mets home game this season -- the debut of the City Connect uniforms this past Saturday -- there has been a constant with the uniform New York wears at Citi Field: Pinstripes with the blue hat.
As blackout Fridays passed without the black jersey and cap being worn, and every game passed without the alternate blue jersey and cap being worn, the belief was that the Mets simply didn't have the necessary elements of either uniform on hand.
Brandon Nimmo confirmed that belief over the weekend, telling Newsday's Tim Healey that the team hasn't received the pants that go with the black and blue jerseys.
The issue is due to Nike and Fanatics -- the MLB uniform providers.
The missing pants are plain white ones with blue piping down the side.
"There’s a serious problem when a $13 billion industry is having a tough time getting pants from a worldwide industry that is supposed to be at the forefront of apparel and whatnot," Nimmo told Newsday. "We can’t wear our blacks, we can’t wear our blues because we don’t have our pants, and I hear that it’s a problem with other teams as well."
Added Nimmo: "It’s one set of pants for two jersey tops that we can’t wear in a major league season because they don’t have it available. It’s a problem that they need to solve for sure. And not a small problem, either."
The Mets made a change to the black jersey and hat ahead of the season, removing the white drop shadow that had been on the "Mets" across the chest, on the numbers, and on the "NY" insignia on the hat.
There were no changes made to the alternate blue jersey or hat.
MLB TO RECTIFY LEAGUE-WIDE UNIFORM ISSUE BY 2025
Following complaints from players and backlash from fans, MLB will be addressing multiple issues with the new uniforms that debuted this season, reports ESPN's Jeff Passan.
The smaller names on the backs of the jerseys that made them look more like replicas will be replaced with larger lettering, and mismatched gray jerseys and pants (some of which were see-through) will be fixed.
Per ESPN, a memo distributed by the MLBA absolved Fanatics and placed all of the blame for the current issues on Nike.
"This has been entirely a Nike issue," the memo said. "At its core, what has happened here is that Nike was innovating something that didn't need to be innovated."
