Less certain are the other benefits Semien might provide — namely offense and leadership, two things he discussed at length this week during an introductory conference call.
Is there more offense in the tank?
Since finishing third in American League MVP voting in 2023, Semien has gone backward at the plate. His league-adjusted OPS+ has diminished from 126 that year to 103 in 2024 and a below-average 97 last season. On the surface, Semien is battling the same aging curve most players do in their early to mid-30s.
But president of baseball operations David Stearns made it clear he feels “there’s likely some bounce-back in his offensive profile.” Specifically, Semien’s underlying metrics aren’t all that dissimilar to those from his standout ’23 campaign.
In Semien’s estimation, he was in the midst of finding things over his final 71 games last season, which saw him slash .270/.338/.464 — numbers almost identical to 2023. But he subsequently fouled a pitch off his left foot, breaking a bone and spraining a ligament in what became a season-ending injury.
That left Semien as an unknown commodity heading into the offseason. Since the Mets traded for him earlier this week, Semien has already had conversations with incoming director of hitting Jeff Albert on his plan to maintain those levels of production. Semien intends to have similar talks with hitting coach Troy Snitker in the coming weeks.
“At this point in my career, it feels extremely good to have a team that believes in me, sees what I do well, wants to help me,” Semien said. “Offensively, I think that I still have a lot to offer. I’m disappointed in the way that I performed offensively last year.”
In his prime, Semien was a perennial 30-homer threat who topped out with 45 long balls for the Blue Jays in 2021. His current goal, he said, is still “to be that MVP-caliber bat in this lineup.”
Where does he fit into the leadership picture?
In Texas, Semien was widely considered the Rangers’ de facto captain. In New York, he doesn’t need to be — not with Francisco Lindor still around, Juan Soto taking on an increasing leadership role, Sean Manaea shepherding the pitching staff and Pete Alonso potentially returning to Flushing.
But Semien could still play a role in filling some of the void left by Nimmo, one of the most respected leaders in the Mets’ clubhouse. He certainly has the requisite experience, having played in 1,629 career Major League games — a higher total than any current Met.
“That’s very important to me,” Semien said of his leadership. “That’s something that’s always been a goal of mine in whatever clubhouse I’m in.”
After being traded from the White Sox to the A’s early in his career, Semien said, he began seeing what a “brotherhood” looks like in a Major League setting. During his year in Toronto, Semien learned how to mesh with a younger group of players who came up together in the Minor Leagues. By the time he arrived in Texas in 2022, Semien was a veteran presence with significant experience bridging gaps among teammates.
He’ll now attempt to do so again in New York, where the presence of so many veterans excites him. Semien added that the things Nimmo did for the Mets, “hopefully I can fill in and do as well.”
“The one thing that has remained constant for me is leading by example with how I work, leading by example with how I respect each member of the organization, treating everybody like a man or a woman,” Semien said. “I’m mostly talking about my teammates here — respect them, help them through tough times, get to know them as a person, get to know their families. So then when we go out to battle, we know how each other is going to react.”
