Mets Pitcher Jon Niese Got Nose Job After Carlos Beltran Offered to Pay for Plastic Surgery

by Dan Duquette Jr. on Tue, Feb 21, 2012 at 12:05PM

Carlos Beltran was traded away from the New York Mets last season at the deadline, but his impact on the team remains in the form of Jon Niese's new nose.

Niese, a starting pitcher for the Mets, underwent plastic surgery and reconstructed his nose after Beltran joked that he needed a new nose and even offered to pay for the procedure himself.

"He wanted me to have a new nose," Niese told ESPN.com. "So he offered to pay for it. I was just like, 'All right.' Then it turned into seeing doctors and to getting it fixed."

Beltran was shipped off to the San Francisco Giants, but Niese apparently decided to heed his former teammate's advice and went ahead to schedule the procedure during the offseason. It's unclear who will end up footing the bill, but the surgery has apparently had the upside of aiding Niese's breathing.

"[The new nose has] helped a lot with my running," Niese said. "It helps with my working out. As far as the mound, I'm not sure."

While the Mets aren't expected to contend for a championship this season, at the very least they continue to remain interesting.