Insider Reveals the Key to Mets' Offseason

The New York Mets roster has come a long way since the shocking trade that sent longtime fan-favorite Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers.

The move set a precedent for the offseason that no player was safe, and that David Stearns was willing to be bold in reshaping his team that fell well short of expectations last year. This was cemented in the following weeks when Pete Alonso, Edwin Diaz, and Jeff McNeil all departed for new clubs.

But Stearns' plan has certainty aged well so far, and much of his success can be linked back to that initial decision to trade one of the faces of the franchise in Nimmo. MLB Insider Joel Sherman hit on this in a recent appearance on the Foul Territory show, saying that "the key for [the Mets] offseason was being able to trade Brandon Nimmo."

Sherman reports that sources within the organization have indicated this, explaining that "they believed because he was owed over $100 million for five years and he had a complete No-Trade Clause, they couldn't do it. They were horrified about the idea of Nimmo and Soto in the corner outfield, already problematic defensively, not just 2026, [but] 2027, 28, 29, 30. What happens when we have to move both to DH?"

"The key for their offseason was being able to trade Brandon Nimmo."@JoelSherman1 reveals the Mets pushed harder for Schwarber than people realize, what Alonso's DH plans would've been, and their fear that the Dodgers would beat them out for Tucker, which ultimately happened. pic.twitter.com/QqzVYzqY0l
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) January 28, 2026

The motivation to move on from Nimmo appears to be multi-faceted, but largely centering around the belief that he would not be able to stay healthy moving forward. For a player that dealt with injuries since the beginning of his career, the 32-year-old has been able to post over 150 games for the past four seasons. But at his advanced age and with a neck flare-up late in the season last year, it's fair to assume that he would struggle to shoulder this heavy workload for five more seasons.

Sherman touched on this point as well, explaining that Nimmo's toughness and ability to play through injury actually became a negative for his career longevity.

"To play, and to play the way he plays... he breaks down at a higher level, but plays through it," he said. "So that was like the bad news within the good news."

A big reason the Mets traded Brandon Nimmo was their concerns about how he'd hold up physically, says @JoelSherman1.

"He breaks down at a higher level than he used to, but plays through it in a way that he used to not be able to, so that was the bad news within the good news." pic.twitter.com/ICKMaO3wAf
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) January 28, 2026

While it's impossible to know for sure if Nimmo's health will be a factor for him going forward, one thing that is obvious about the Mets' offseason is their drastic improvements defensively. As a one-for-one swap, Semien will provide a huge boost as one of the league's most talented second basemen while Nimmo has clearly lost a step in left field. On top of that, dealing Nimmo gave New York an opening which allowed them to aggressively pursue free agent outfielder Kyle Tucker.

While this ultimately didn't go their way, it can be seen as a major turning point in the offseason because it resulted in the immediate pivot that brought in infielder Bo Bichette. As Sherman puts it, "the dominos all fell right for them... it just began to open pathways for them that they didn't quite frankly think were going to open."

The Mets' unique whirlwind of an offseason is not over yet, though it is unlikely they produce any more major moves. But as it stands today, the roster is greatly improved from the end of last season and clearly crafted to Stearns' design with strong defense and versatile fielders. While it was likely a difficult decision to make, trading Nimmo gave the club the flexibility required to make the rest of it happen.

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