When Brandon Nimmo signed a free agent contract to return to the Mets for eight years and $162 million in 2022, the veteran outfielder was excited about the idea of playing the rest of his career with the team that took a chance on a kid from Wyoming.
But the Mets core is no more. The Mets and Texas Rangers have agreed to a trade that would send Nimmo to Arlington in exchange for second baseman Marcus Semien, a source confirmed to the Daily News. ESPN’s Jeff Passan was the first to report the trade.
The Mets also sent $5 million to the Rangers in the deal. Semien, a second baseman, is owed $72 million over the next three years while Nimmo has five years and $102.5 million left on his contract. Nimmo, 32, had no-trade protection he had to approve in order to facilitate the trade.
It’s a swap that doesn’t make a lot of sense on its face, especially given the Mets’ glut of infielders. However, it’s clear that it will precede other offseason moves. President of baseball operations David Stearns has continued to stress “run prevention” and defense, and Semien is a stellar defender that will help make the Mets tougher up the middle. Left field is now vacant, giving the Mets the ability to move Jeff McNeil if they chose, or to trade McNeil and pursue another option at the corner.
Kyle Schwarber headlines the free-agent class in left field, but he would not be a defensive upgrade over Nimmo. The two are also about the same age, and the Mets aren’t fans of giving long-term contracts to players over the age of 30. Cody Bellinger and Kyle Tucker are also free agents, though signing one of them would require the Mets to reconfigure the outfield since Bellinger primarily plays in center field, and Tucker plays in right. Bellinger and Tucker, like Nimmo, also hit from the left side of the plate.
The Mets have no plans to move Juan Soto out of right field.
This represents a major shakeup in the team’s core, which is why it’s so stunning. Nimmo has been with the club since he was drafted in the first round in 2011, and has been a key part of the clubhouse leadership group even before he signed his eight-year extension. Along with shortstop Francisco Lindor, Nimmo has been a co-captain of sorts.
Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz, two other long-tenured Mets, could leave in free agency this winter, and McNeil has received some attention on the trade market with one year at $15.75 million left on his contract.
Nimmo was the longest-tenured player on the team, and a key leader in the clubhouse. The Mets were the team that took a chance on a high school kid from Wyoming, something that has always been meaningful to him. He was a top prospect coming up through the farm system, but once he reached the higher levels of the minor leagues, scouts pegged him as a fourth outfielder, maybe even a fifth.
Nimmo carried that chip on his shoulder, determined to prove the doubters wrong.
After making his big-league debut in 2016, injuries to Yoenis Cespedes and mid-season trades of Curtis Granderson and Jay Bruce opened the door for Nimmo to receive more playing time. He played all three outfield positions and played them well, but it was his ability to draw frequent walks that solidified his spot in the lineup. As an energetic, eager prospect, Nimmo was known for sprinting to first base instead of trotting when walked.
It’s something he still does today, 1066 games into his big league career.
A leadoff hitter for much of his career, in recent seasons the Mets have used Nimmo down toward the middle of the lineup as he’s found more power. In 2023, he set a new career-high mark with 24 home runs. He hit 23 in 2024, and 25 last season.
Nimmo’s defense regressed last season, but he hit .262 with a .760 OPS and 25 home runs. He compiled 2.9 bWAR and posted a 114 OPS+.
After being labeled as injury-prone earlier in his career, Nimmo has played at least 151 games in each of his last four seasons. He played through plantar fasciitis during the 2024 postseason that lingered into his 2025 season, and missed games with neck soreness, something he still deals with after crashing into the wall for a catch earlier in his career.
The defensive regression hasn’t exactly been steep, but he went from 6 outs above average as a center fielder in 2022, to -1 as a left fielder in 2025. Nimmo has lost some speed and range in recent years, but not much. There were some costly misplays in 2025, like the one at Dodger Stadium in June, but overall, he was solid in 2025, just as he’s been throughout his time in a Mets uniform.
Semien, 35, hit .230 with a .669 OPS and 15 home runs last season, but won a Gold Glove for his strong infield defense. The Cal alum had 7 outs above average at second base, and a fielding run value of 6.
However, the Mets still have too many infielders. McNeil offers enough versatility that he can be moved, but Semien, a right-handed hitter, overlaps with Luisangel Acuña, a speedy defender who has yet to do much at the plate at the Major League level. They still have the switch-hitting Ronny Mauricio who needs at-bats, and Jett Williams, a highly-ranked prospect, knocking at the door in the minor leagues.