What could be a seismic offseason for the Mets had its first really loud moment late Sunday afternoon when the news broke that the club had traded Brandon Nimmo, a drafted-and-developed cog in their core, to the Texas Rangers in exchange for second baseman Marcus Semien, a three-time All-Star.
If you did not believe David Stearns’ end-of-season proclamation about the Mets improving their run prevention, well, this should convince you and the rest of baseball, too. Semien, who won the AL Gold Glove at second last season, instantly improves the Mets’ defense, a big weakness in 2025.
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It’s a one-for-one trade, sure, but no move like this is made in a vacuum, and the real read on this deal will come once we see what’s next. The club’s core, which probably needed refreshing this winter, is officially shaken up now, and all kinds of other roster reverberations are looming going forward.
After the crushing disappointment of last season, that’s probably not a bad thing.
Left field is now open for the Mets to acquire a better defensive player and, potentially, a bigger hitter than Nimmo. Free agent Kyle Tucker, the best position player on this year’s market, comes to mind. Let’s see if the Mets go there, or perhaps try to sign Cody Bellinger and take an outfield star from the Yankees for a second straight winter.
The Mets also have so many other second base possibilities on their roster – Jeff McNeil, Brett Baty, Luisangel Acuña and Ronny Mauricio – that Semien’s presence probably means some of those will be traded, too. And the Mets now seem at least likely to part with some of their highly-regarded prospects as they seek to add an ace and fill gaping divots in the rotation and bullpen.
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Semien, 35, has had two ordinary – at best – years on offense the past two seasons. In 2025, he hit 15 homers, batted .230 and had a .669 OPS. His OPS-plus was 97, below league average. Semien hit 45 homers in 2021 and 29 two years later, so he’s shown pop in the past. The Mets better hope there’s some left.
Semien has $72 million and three years left on his contract, which means the Mets cleared two years of commitment. Nimmo, who will play next season at 33, has five years and more than $100 million left on the eight-year, $162-million contract he signed after the 2022 season.
For all the benefits the Mets could reap from this deal, there’s a bittersweet quality to it, too. Has to be, considering Nimmo’s significance as a Met since he was taken with the 13th overall pick in the 2011 draft. He bloomed into a great Met, if probably not for as long as he once thought.
Nimmo played the game with evident joy, all smiles, and delivered energy and hustle to the Mets and not just on his trademark sprint to first on walks. He was a reliable, respected voice in the Mets clubhouse, willing to dissect the highs and lows of 162 games – and beyond – and was always accountable, even as seasons spiraled.
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The early part of Nimmo’s career was stalled by injury, but he has been ultra-reliable the past four seasons, never playing fewer than 151 games. He had an .802 OPS and a .364 on-base percentage and slugged 135 homers in 1,066 games for the Mets.
In a career-best 155 games in 2025, Nimmo had personal highs in home runs (25) and RBI (92). His offensive profile changed over the years as his power developed and his on-base percentage dropped as more balls sailed over the fence. Still, he was one of the Mets’ best offensive players for years.
He was so much a part of the club’s fabric that Mets owner Steve Cohen included Nimmo when he dubbed his top players the “Fab Four,” a play on the Beatles’ nickname last season. Nimmo, Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso and Juan Soto once seemed likely to be core Mets for years to come. When Nimmo signed his big contract, he talked about the idea of being a Met for life, about how it felt good to put the jersey on and “know it’s not coming off.”
But big changes wallop teams that fail, especially when there were such high expectations for the 2025 Mets. Stearns vowed to upgrade the run prevention. Nimmo-for-Semien is the first step in that quest. Won’t be the last.
A part of the Mets’ core is gone, and an offseason of change in Queens, some of it uncomfortable, is on.
