BREAKING: Mets trade Brandon Nimmo for Marcus Semien

The Mets shored up their defense on the right side of the field at the expense of some offense from a homegrown star

From the moment the Mets were sent home for the winter in September, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns has endeavored to improve the Mets’ run prevention ability.

And on Sunday, he took a step forward in that endeavor when, according to ESPN, the Mets acquired INF Marcus Semien from the Rangers in exchange for OF Brandon Nimmo.

The move to acquire Semien, 34, helps improve the Mets’ defense on the right side of the field, that which was badly in need of an upgrade. Semien can play three infield positions but produced 5 defensive runs saved at second base with seven outs above average (OAA). He was worth 2.1 fWAR overall thanks mostly due to his diminished offense as he produced a .230/.305/.364 line with 15 home runs and 62 RBI across 534 plate appearances in 127 games for the Rangers in 2025. He is a two-time gold glove award winner and won it in 2025, and is a quality baserunner who stole 11 bases in 2025 and has 139 over the course of his 13-year career. He has three years and $72 million left on the seven-year, $175 million contract he signed before the 2022 season. He is a lifetime .253/.321/.435 hitter with 253 home runs and 801 RBI in 1629 games over his 13-year career.

As for Nimmo, 32, he was the longest-tenured Met on the roster, having made his MLB debut for the club in 2016. He was the Mets’ first-round selection in the June 2011 amateur draft, the first pick under Sandy Alderson’s first term as general manager following the dismissal of Omar Minaya after the 2010 season. In ten years with the Mets, Nimmo hit .262/.364/.436 with 135 home runs and 463 RBI over 1066 games. He signed an eight-year, $162 million contract with the Mets before the 2023 season and had five years with $100 million left on that deal. He had a full no-trade clause in his contract, meaning Nimmo had to approve this deal to Texas.

As difficult as it is to see a homegrown Met star grow, the Mets badly needed to improve their defense even at the expense of the value he provides at the plate.

New York Post

Assuming there’s nothing being offset dollar-wise, the Mets will pay Semien $24 million a year compared to $20 million per year for Nimmo, but it’s for three years now, not five. There’s a $28 million cost savings overall and a shorter commitment on Semien, freeing the Mets of a long-term commitment to Nimmo, who had evolved into an offense-first player in recent seasons which became power-first and less on-base. Semien will earn $26 million in 2026 and 2027 and $28 million in 2028.

With Semien on board, the Mets’ infield defense is far better, even if their offense takes a step back with Semien’s apparent regression. In trading Nimmo, it signals a willingness by the front office to move on from this core.

With Nimmo removed from the outfield, there is a sudden vacancy at the top of the depth chart in left field. This would presumably create an opportunity for the Mets to enter the free agent market for an elite corner outfielder, such as Kyle Tucker or Cody Bellinger, both of whom would not only upgrade their offense, but their outfield defense as well.

The makeup of this deal won’t be fully defined until more moves are made, of course, given Semien’s offensive struggles in recent seasons. But this move most certainly paves the way for the Mets to be more opportunistic in free agency, although the signability of Nimmo’s potential high-end replacements remains to be seen.