Brandon Nimmo Reveals Why He Waived No-Trade Clause for Rangers

Brandon Nimmo explains why he accepted a trade from the New York Mets to the Texas Rangers.

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After spending the first 10 years of his MLB career with the New York Mets, Brandon Nimmo is now a Texas Ranger.

That was only possible because he waived his full no-trade clause, allowing the Mets to send him to the Rangers in exchange for Marcus Semien.

On Tuesday, Nimmo joined MLB Network to explain his experience during the process and why he ultimately decided to okay the trade.

Nimmo Was Willing To Sacrifice Mets Legacy

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After already spending a decade with New York and signing an extension through 2030, Nimmo was expecting to be with the Mets for several more years. He hoped to retire with them, thus spending his entire career with one organization.

New York had other ideas, however, and was willing to part ways with him to acquire Semien and improve its infield defense. All it had to do was convince Nimmo to waive his no-trade clause, which was the only thing holding up the deal.

"This was something that I was forfeiting a legacy with the New York Mets, and we would have to really believe that the Rangers wanted to win year in and year out..."

Brandon Nimmo speaks on the decision to waive his no-trade clause for a move to the Rangers. #MLBNHotStove pic.twitter.com/ZncGXn1zEc

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The Mets "were very honest" with the 32-year-old outfielder, informing him that he might need to DH more or potentially sacrifice some playing time to make room for prospects. They also explained their reasoning for the trade to him, emphasizing that they wanted to get better defensively.

Nimmo's a good hitter, but his fielding is nothing special. Semien, on the other hand, is a two-time Gold Glove winner and one of the best defensive second basemen in the sport.

Rangers Made Nimmo Feel Wanted, Valued

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While New York wanted to go in a different direction, Texas made it clear to Nimmo how badly the organization wanted him and valued him.

"The Rangers, from the other side, were saying, 'We love you. We want you. The player that you are, the person that you are. We need that and we want that, and you are gonna be welcomed with open arms here. There's a reason that we made you who we wanted to come after in this trade,'" Nimmo said.

Nimmo added that once he saw how strongly Texas wanted him to join its club, that made it easier to move on from the Mets and approve the trade.

The Rangers had been looking for a lefty power bat and a veteran leader this offseason, so it's not surprising they came hard after Nimmo. He seems like a great fit on their end, and even though they gave up a good player to get him, it won't be surprising if they end up winning this deal.

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