Brandon Nimmo reveals reason for waiving Mets no-trade clause

Brandon Nimmo opened up about what went into waiving his no-trade clause with the New York Mets.

May 4, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo (9) looks on while on deck to bat against the Tampa Bay Rays during the seventh inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The New York Mets' ability to execute a trade of Brandon Nimmo for Marcus Semien wasn't so simple as agreeing to a deal with the Texas Rangers, and that being that.

Instead, Nimmo had to waive his no-trade clause for this deal to go through. And given how much playing for the Mets meant to Nimmo, one would imagine that he wasn't eager to do this initially.

After the trade was made public, it came out that Nimmo had conversations with former Mets ace Jacob deGrom, who is now pitching for the Rangers, about potentially playing in Texas. And after hearing all the good things that the five-time All-Star and two-time NL Cy Young Award winner had to say about the franchise, Nimmo ultimately agreed to the deal, thus ending his 10-year tenure in New York.

Aug 26, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo (9) is doused by teammates after hitting a walk off single against the Philadelphia Phillies during the ninth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | John Jones-Imagn Images

Brandon Nimmo Speaks on Waiving Mets' No-Trade Clause

Nimmo had his introductory press conference with Texas on November 24. And at one point, he addressed what went into his decision to waive his no-trade and take his talents to the Lone Star State.

"What we ended up coming up with was the Mets would not have brought this trade if they didn't feel like it put the Mets in the best position to win going forward. They made it very apparent that they weren't actively shopping me, but that the Rangers really, really, really wanted me," Nimmo said, per an X post from SNY. "[The Rangers] made it extremely apparent, and they were persistent enough that they got to the point where a trade was to be had.

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"So from my perspective, when I talked with [Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young]... I tried to familiarize myself with the Rangers and where they were at. Because this was going to be a huge decision for me. Spring training is in Arizona, we live in Port St. Lucie, Florida, we just finished our house that we've been working on... We had kind of built this life centered around that we were going to be New York Mets until the very end."

"The Mets would not have brought this trade if they didn't feel like it put the Mets in the best position to win going forward. They made it very apparent that they weren't actively shopping me but that the Rangers really, really, really wanted me."

Brandon Nimmo talks about… pic.twitter.com/IWrpUoxZHA

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) November 24, 2025

Props to Nimmo for putting on a brave face when speaking about this deal. However, those last comments suggest that this was not an easy decision for him and his family.

Ultimately, he made a choice that ended up benefiting the Mets, which is in line with every other choice he has made throughout his big league career.

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