Report: Brandon Nimmo Traded To Texas As Mets Receive Semien

In a blockbuster deal, the New York Mets are sending outfielder Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers in exchange for second baseman Marcus Semien. The deal was first reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN. The trade was confirmed to be one-for-one, the only notable additional aspect was the Mets were sending an additional $5 million to Texas given the overall contract value difference. This per Jon Heyman of the NY Post.

Likely the contributing factor to this deal was the remaining term on each player’s contracts. Nimmo’s eight-year deal is set to expire at the end of the 2030 season while Semien’s expires at the end of the 2028 season. Semien’s competitive balance tax (CBT) payroll hit each season is $25 million compared to Nimmo’s $20.25 million. Again, the appeal to the Mets was surely the term difference, rather than the payroll hit each season.

Nimmo, of course, has been a career Met. His deal also included a full no-trade protection meaning he had to approve the deal to Texas.

The 32-year-old ends his Mets career with a .262/.364/.436 (.802 OPS) slash line. He hit 135 homers and contributed 463 RBIs. His career 26.1 bWAR ranks eighth all-time in Mets history among position players.

Drafted by the Mets in the first round back in 2011, Nimmo signed an eight-year extension worth $162 million in 2022 seemingly making him a Met for life. That lengthy deal, coupled with declines in value year-over-year, rocky defensive play, and some injury issues seemingly spelled the end to his career in New York.

As for Semien, the second baseman has fallen on hard times offensively his last two seasons. In 2024, despite being named an All-Star, he posted a .699 OPS. Then, this past season, his OPS fell to a career-low .669. He was also limited to 470 at-bats, due to injury, which was the fewest of his career since the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season.

With that being said, Semien is still an elite defender, having won two Gold Gloves in his career. Last year, specifically, he posted a plus-seven outs above average, a number that ranked in the league’s 92nd percentile. His defensive successes (plus-54 outs above average and plus-54 defensive runs saved since 2021), surely appealed to president of baseball operations David Stearns.

Despite the offensive struggles, Semien still excelled at not chasing (80th percentile chase rate), not whiffing (63rd percentile whiff rate), avoiding the strikeout (74th percentile strikeout rate), and walking (63rd percentile walk rate) in 2025. These are all areas he has always done well with in his underrated 13-year career.

Semien, who stole 11 bases (caught stealing only once) in 2025, also has strong speeds on the bases. His 92nd percentile sprint speed in 2025 culminated in a baserunning run value in the 86th percentile this past season.

Despite being 35 years old, Semien’s hitting profile brings enough patience at the plate where he should still find success. Additionally, he has been one of the best defensive second basemen in the league for years and still has some juice on the bases.

This is certainly a surprising deal that likely caught many off guard. Nimmo was a terrific, homegrown Met for a long time. However, by making this deal, president of baseball operations David Stearns replaces Nimmo’s deal with one that ends two seasons earlier and instantly increases his team’s overall defense.

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