The Mets and Rangers are in the finishing stages of a surprising one-for-one trade that would send second baseman Marcus Semien to Queens in exchange for outfielder Brandon Nimmo, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports. The Athletic’s Will Sammon reports that Nimmo has agreed to waive his no-trade clause to allow the deal to proceed.
Reports emerged earlier this week that the Mets were open to moving Nimmo, so it isn’t entirely shocking to see the veteran outfielder’s time in New York come to an end. However, a straight-up swap for Semien is eye-opening, given how Semien is coming off a dismal year at the plate and comes with a significant future price tag in his own right.
Semien has $72MM and three seasons remaining on the seven-year, $175MM free agent deal he signed with Texas during the 2021-22 offseason. Nimmo is owed $101.25MM through the 2030 season, as he has completed three years of the eight-year, $162MM free agent he signed to remain with the Mets in December 2022. Since luxury tax figures are re-calculated to account for just remaining money owed in the wake of trades, Semien’s tax number is $24MM, and Nimmo has a $20.25MM figure.
The Mets are therefore taking on a slightly bigger tax hit while reducing the amount of overall dollars owed, while the Rangers are reducing their tax number but adding more overall money to their books. That adds an interesting wrinkle for a Texas club that was expected to reduce payroll this winter, though it is worth noting that the Rangers cleared a good chunk of money off the books (a projected $21.1MM) on Friday with four non-tenders.
While the financial elements can’t be overlooked, the trade is also something of an old-school need-for-need “baseball deal” that allows both the Mets and Rangers to address needs. Beginning with Texas, the team was prioritizing a different offensive approach based around contact hitting and getting on base.
Nimmo’s strikeout rates have been overall middling throughout his career, though his chase and whiff rates have been consistently above average. His walk rates had also been strong before suddenly dropping to 7.7% in 2025, in a career-low for the outfielder over a full season. Still, Nimmo hit .262/.324/.436 with 25 homers over 652 plate appearances, translating to a 114 wRC+ over 652 plate appearances as New York’s everyday left fielder. Public defensive metrics have also looked a lot more fondly on Nimmo’s glovework since he moved to left field from center field.
Since Adolis Garcia has now been non-tendered, Nimmo can slide into the left field position in Arlington, with Evan Carter or (probably more likely) Wyatt Langford moving into Garcia’s old spot in right field. Second base is now opened up for Josh Smith or Ezequiel Duran in the short term, and top prospect Sebastian Walcott could also potentially find a home at the keystone depending on how long Corey Seager remains at shortstop. The Rangers could also now explore the market for trade or free agent options at second base, with Semien no longer in the picture.
Selected 13th overall by the Mets in the 2011 draft, Nimmo has spent his entire career with the Amazins, becoming a fan favorite due to his consistent offense. Injuries were a major hindrance for Nimmo earlier in his career and he is entering his age-32 season, but he has played in at least 151 games in each of his last four seasons.
In short, it seems like the Rangers feel more comfortable about paying Nimmo a bit of extra money over a longer term than they were paying Semien over his age 35-37 seasons. A picture of durability throughout his career, Semien suffered a rare serious injury in 2025, as he was limited to 127 games by a Lisfranc sprain and a small fracture in his left foot. Beyond just the health issue, Texas was perhaps more concerned about Semien’s dropoff at the plate over the last three seasons.
2023 was Semien’s last year as a premium hitter, as he hit .276/.348/.478 with 29 homers over 753 PA for the Rangers’ World Series championship team. Semien delivered a 128 wRC+ that year, but he dropped to a 101 wRC+ in 2024, and then a subpar 89 wRC+ in 2025. A .251 BABIP over the last two seasons is a partial explanation, yet the bigger culprit is a sizeable decline in power.
More to come…