In the first real big move of the off-season, the New York Mets have traded outfielder Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers for infielder Marcus Semien on Sunday night.
The move is basically a swap of bad contracts for two players who once were really good for their respective franchises. Nimmo has five years at $19.25 million per season remaining on an eight year, $162 million deal he signed with the Mets in 2023.
Semien, who is about three years older than Nimmo, has three years at $26 million per year. His final year in 2028 is only $20 million.
While both players have struggled at the plate the past two seasons, where the deal does make sense for the Mets, its the defense that Semien provides in the infield that made this possible. Semien infield defense is still considered one of the best in baseball, where as Nimmo's defense in the outfield has gone downwards.
Nimmo will be missed. He was a lively presence in the Mets clubhouse that brought leadership and accountability. He will be very tough to replace in that regard, even if early reports are that Semien is a very good clubhouse guy himself.
The question will be what's next? The movement of Nimmo opens things up for them in the outfield. That could mean signing someone like Cody Bellinger or giving a young player like Carson Benge or Jett Williams an opportunity to make the ball-club out of Spring Training. Stay tuned.
It also brings into question what will happen with Jeff McNeil at second. Will the Mets trade him? There have been rumors they want to move him. Will Semien play third? It's possible. Also what does this mean for Pete Alonso?
With Nimmo out of the picture, and the Mets potentially looking to change the make-up of the clubhouse, perhaps this is the first signal that Alonso's days in Flushing are done? We'll have to wait and see.
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