Can being traded from the Texas Rangers to New York Mets breathe life into the MLB career of 35-year-old Cal grad Marcus Semien?
Three times a third-place finisher in the AL MVP voting — in 2019, ’21 and ’23 — Semien has tailed off the past two years since helping the Rangers win their first World Series title in 2023.
The Rangers, just 81-81 and third in the AL West last summer, sent the three-time All-Star and 2X Gold Glove second baseman to the Mets in a trade for outfielder Brandon Nimmo.
David Stearns, the Mets’ president of baseball operations, told reporters that “run prevention” and improving the right side of the team’s infield are priorities. Semien certainly should help there.
But Stearns is also convinced “there’s likely some bounce-back in his offensive profile,” according to MLB.com. Although his basic statistics worsened the past two seasons, the underlying metrics weren’t all that different than they were in 2023, MLB.com wrote.
He was fighting his way out of a slow start last summer when he fouled a pitch off his left foot, sustaining a fractured third metatarsal and a sprain of his lisfranc ligament in his foot.
Semien sounds excited about an opportunity with his fifth major league team, the first in the National League.
“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,” he told reporters. “Offensively, I think that I still have a lot to offer. I’m disappointed in the way that I performed offensively last year.”
In 127 games last season, Semien slashed .230/.305/.364 with 15 home runs and 62 RBIs.
As recently as ’23, Semien had 29 home runs and 100 RBIs and led the AL in games played, plate appearances, at-bats, runs scored, hits and with a 7.7 WAR. He had career highs of 45 homers and 102 RBIs with the Toronto Rangers in 2021, after which he signed a seven-year, $175 million free-agent deal with Texas.
He arrives in New York with three years remaining on that contract.
Semien joins a Mets team that missed the postseason after an 83-79 record, but returns with core players including Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto.
In 13 seasons, Semien has 253 career home runs, 801 RBIs, has scored 968 runs and has 612 extra-base hits. He is a two-time Silver Slugger award winner.
Nimmo, who turns 33 in March, played all 10 of his MLB seasons with the Mets. He had career-best totals of 25 home runs and 92 RBIs last season, but the Mets were concerned his defense in the outfield had regressed.
His lifetime numbers include a .262 batting average, 135 homers and 463 RBIs.
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