Making sense of the Mets trade of Brandon Nimmo for Marcus Semien

The New York Mets made a shocking trade on Sunday.

Aug 8, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien (2) throws to first base during the seventh inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The New York Mets pulled off a stunning trade on Sunday evening.

The Mets are sending longtime fan-favorite left fielder Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers in exchange for second baseman Marcus Semien.

ESPN's Jeff Passan was the first to report on this news.

Nimmo ultimately waived his no-trade clause for the deal to go through. Nimmo, 33, is owed $102 million over the next five years while Semien, 35, is making $72 million across the next three seasons. The Mets also sent $5 million to Texas, per Jon Heyman of The New York Post.

Nimmo re-signed with the Mets on an eight-year, $162 million deal in the 2022-2023 offseason. But Billy Eppler was the GM at the time, one season before David Stearns came aboard as president of baseball operations.

This trade was a shock given how popular Nimmo is amongst the fan base after having spent his entire career with the Mets thus far from 2016-2025. Nimmo was drafted by the Mets in the first-round of the 2011 MLB Draft and has endured his whole professional career in the organization.

Semien is also coming off two down offensive campaigns in a row for Texas, but won a Gold Glove award in 2025 at second base. By acquiring Semien and dumping Nimmo, the Mets and Stearns have begun implementing their plan of improving run prevention.

Semien's right-handed bat also brings more balance to the Mets' left-handed heavy lineup. It also could open the door to a Jeff McNeil trade as well as the free agency pursuit of Kyle Tucker or Cody Bellinger with the vacancy in left field.

Nimmo, a left-handed bat, had the better offensive season in 2025, slashing .262/.324/.436 with a .760 OPS, 25 home runs and 92 RBI to go with a 2.9 bWAR in 155 games. But Nimmo's defense slipped in the outfield and it wasn't as simple as just expecting him to enhance his play out in left.

As for Semien, the second baseman hit .230/.305/.364 with a .669 OPS, 15 homers and 62 RBI with a 3.3 bWAR in 127 games. However, he is still one of the better hitting second basemen in baseball and provides value with his defense at the position, posting seven outs above average in 2025.

As Mets On SI reported several weeks ago, the Mets recognized that they were in need of a culture shift heading into the 2026 season. Trading Nimmo is a major shakeup in the clubhouse for the New York Mets who will look a lot different next year.

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