Brandon Nimmo Hints at 2 Additional Reasons for Mets Trade

The New York Mets turned a lot of heads when they traded longtime outfielder Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers in exchange for second baseman Marcus Semien earlier this offseason.

The one-for-one swap made enough sense from a baseball perspective. But the fact that Nimmo is beloved by Mets fans and seemingly had a good reputation among his peers in the clubhouse raised eyebrows.

However, the reports about friction in New York's clubhouse down the stretch last year suggested that perhaps Nimmo's standing in the locker room wasn't as solid as had been initially believed. And his getting traded away added fuel to this speculation.

Texas Rangers outfielder Brandon Nimmo | Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images

What Brandon Nimmo Thinks Contributed to Mets Moving Him

Nimmo spoke with Joel Sherman of the New York Post for an article that was published on February 28. The article included several fascinating comments from both Sherman and Nimmo about why he might have been traded.

"As for more minor nuisances that gained criticism toward Nimmo, he did agree those were possibly problems. For example, as part of the program that has allowed him to play so many games the past four years, Nimmo hardly ever takes batting practice at home, feeling it is detrimental to warm up for that (the home team always hits first), then cool down and then heat up again for the game. So Nimmo often waits to close to the game, gets into uniform, warms up and goes to play, and that apartness from the club disturbed some," Sherman wrote in the article, which was included in a March 1 X post from @metsnewsletter.

“I do think that that part of things had a little bit to do with [the trade],” Nimmo was then quoted as saying.

Brandon Nimmo | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Sherman then added, "Additionally, Nimmo tended to always make sure his voice was heard at meetings and could go on for a while, and it was felt at times that it was all too much. To which, Nimmo said, 'I did talk a lot at meetings. Maybe that was part of it, too. I heard that.'"

"It is all petty in the big picture, but in the claustrophobic everyday-ness of nine months living together, small things tend to fester and grow, especially when a team is losing and there is a vacuum in leadership," Sherman continued.

A new reason why the Mets traded Brandon Nimmo has emerged. Apparently, Nimmo couldn't STFU sometimes.https://t.co/vj276djM11 pic.twitter.com/G5JpTFjdcs
— The Mets Newsletter (@metsnewsletter) March 1, 2026

It seems that there was more to the Nimmo trade than just changing the Mets' lineup.

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