A look at the human element of the Brandon Nimmo/Marcus Semien trade

Plus, a summary of David Stearns' media session and buzz around some free agent pitching with a surprising suitor for a top-shelf starter

What’s up with the Mets? 🍎

• Brandon Nimmo publicly discussed being traded to Texas on Monday afternoon, calling it a “shock” and was taken aback (SNY | Newsday)

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Rumor Mill 💨

• Tatsuya Imai does not want to sign with the Dodgers - he’d rather, “take them down” (MLB.com)

• The Marlins are showing interest in signing RHP Michael King (Athletic)

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The Just Mets Podcast 🎙️

In an emergency live stream edition of The Just Mets Podcast, Rich MacLeod & Andrew Claudio share their instant reactions to the Mets trading Brandon Nimmo to the Rangers in exchange for Marcus Semien.

SUBSCRIBE: YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify

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David Stearns’ chat with the media 🎤

SNY

Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns spoke with the media following the team’s trade sending Brandon Nimmo to the Rangers for Marcus Semien, and basically said the following:

• This was a difficult decision for the front office to make given Nimmo’s history and loyalty with the club as well as his current ability to produce

• They weren’t willing to run the same team out in 2026, given how badly things went in the second half of 2025

• The trade began to take shape during the GM Meetings and gained steam in the week that followed, and they went to Nimmo on Thursday night asking if he’d waive his no-trade clause and go to Texas

• Stearns clearly made this trade to upgrade the defense, saying Semien is one of the best defensive players in baseball, but also touted his clubhouse presence, describing him as a “winner.”

• He also acknowledged the front office’s desire to become more right-handed, which is what Semien also offers the team, and expects him to rebound at the plate after a down season in 2025

• He still feels Jeff McNeil has value to the roster because of his versatility, and he is also confident Jett Williams, Luisangel Acuña, and Ronny Mauricio can provide value because of their own positional versatility

• Trading Nimmo creates more flexibility and opportunities for the team to improve the roster

• It’s realistic for the Mets to be able to retain Pete Alonso, Edwin Díaz, and add a top-flight outfielder

“Running back the exact same group wasn’t the right thing to do.”

~ David Stearns following the trade of Brandon Nimmo

The human part of a trade like the one the Mets made on Sunday night ✍️

Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Mets have not been shy about vocalizing their openness and willingness to shake up their roster this winter after falling well short of their lofty expectations a season ago, specifically their core after the trade they made on Sunday night.

There have been several recent reports from national insiders indicating the Mets had been, in fact, willing to listen on some of their core players, while also actively engaging in trade discussions on multiple others.

Even so, on Sunday night when I first saw the news that the Mets had sent Brandon Nimmo to Texas in exchange for Marcus Semien, I’ll admit it, I was stunned.

For starters, in a vacuum, the one-for-one trade just does not make sense. At this point in both of their careers, Nimmo is a much younger, much better player. As everyone reading this knows, he was the longest tenured member of this organization, has been a fan favorite for nearly a decade, and is coming off a season that saw him drive in a career high 92 runs.

It’s evident this is only the first in what will undoubtedly be a bounty of moves President of Baseball Operations David Stearns makes this winter, and I’m going to withhold my own final judgement as a lifelong Mets fan until we see what the rest of the winter brings.

And I think that’s the proper path for everyone, whether you’re a fan or a member of the media. This can only be viewed as part one of a two-part change for the Mets at this stage of the off-season.

At 37, I’ve lived through so many different Mets teams, managers, front office executives, etc. I’ve seen good trades, bad trades, disappointing seasons, and exhilarating surprises.

What’s different for me now, however, is I’m a dad with three kids under 10 who were doomed from the start to be subjected to this life of living and dying with the New York Mets.

So, when we were all watching football on Sunday and I saw tweets breaking the news of the blockbuster trade, I immediately got a lump in my throat.

Parenting books don’t come with a page for how to handle telling your ten-year-old son whose entire life revolves around playing travel baseball year-round, and watching the Mets, that one of his favorite players has been sent to the Rangers.

For a guy who’s only an 81 overall on MLB the Show!

An eight-year-old girl that wants to do everything her dad and brother do doesn’t care about defensive metrics. She just knows that Nimmo always sounded like he loved the Mets just as much as she did when he was talking in interviews, and she was proud to wear his jersey and cheer at the TV.

Then you have a five-year-old girl that three hours later is still asking “But why, Daddy?” and “What’s a Ranger?” on repeat.

It sounded as though Stearns got the sentimental value part about Nimmo when he spoke to the media on Monday. I think he was genuine when he said this was a difficult move for the organization to make but, as we all know, it’s his responsibility to eliminate emotion when it comes to roster construction and at times, make some unpopular and multi-pronged moves. He said it himself - they simply couldn’t run the same club out there again in 2026 after what happened in the final months of 2025. Unfortunately, that means big changes, even if it means some of the base’s favorite players have to go. I get that, although I don’t truly get this one.

Now, will this move and others actually make the Mets better in 2026 than they were in 2025? That remains to be seen. On the surface right now, prior to Thanksgiving, that answer feels like no. Stearns and company surely believe it will, otherwise they wouldn’t have done it.

Over the next several weeks, months, years, hell even decades, the Mets will undoubtedly make a plethora of other moves we will sit here and question, scrutinize, and disagree with.

This is the first one that came with kids that were old enough to understand and be devastated.

I guess my wife and I have hit a new parenting milestone.

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Around the League 🚩

• The Rockies announced that despite hiring a new President of Baseball Operations (Paul DePodesta) manager Warren Schaeffer will return in 2026 (Denver Post)

• The Cardinals brought back catcher Yohel Pozo on a Major League pact (St. Louis Post Dispatch)

• Shohei Ohtani announced he will play for Team Japan in the 2026 World Baseball Classic (MLB.com)