The Brandon Nimmo trade sent shockwaves across Met fans and frankly, the baseball world as most of us were wrapped up in watching the NFL this past Sunday. There had been hints that the Mets would be aggressive this off season in the trade department, but I don’t think many saw this move coming, and certainly not for the return.
Brandon Nimmo is on his way to the Lone Star State in exchange for INF Marcus Semien. On paper the move seems one sided, especially on the offensive front. Semien is three years older than Nimmo, and is coming off his worst career season at the plate. He batted .230 and had an OPS .669. That’s not to say that he doesn’t have the potential to be an elite presence in the lineup.
Just two years ago, Semien helped the Rangers win a World Series. He delivered the knockout shot when he took former Met, Paul Sewald deep in the ninth inning of game five to put Texas up by five over Arizona. He was a key part of that Ranger team that saw them win their first title in franchise history. He had an OPS of .826 that season, finished third in MVP voting and smashed 29 home runs along with 100 RBIs. He was also an All-Star and a Silver Slugger. He was an All-Star again in 2024, and it’s worth nothing that despite his offensive struggles in 2025, he still came away with a Gold Glove.
Right now though, losing Brandon Nimmo is a tough loss for this franchise. Drafted in 2011, Nimmo was the longest tenured Met on the roster, making his Met debut in 2016. He was one of two active Met players to have played alongside David Wright, the other being Jeff McNeil. Nimmo was here for a lot of ups and downs. He was here during some lean years in 2017 and 2018. Played his part in trying to get the 2019 Mets into an unlikely Wild Card spot. Was here as the team began to turn it around in 2022, and who could forget his tearful moment when the Mets had their first playoff series win at Citi Field in the 2024 NLDS?
When Nimmo signed his contract with the Mets in 2022, I think we all thought he’d be a Met for life. Joining a very exclusive list of Ed Kranepool and David Wright. Trading away a player like Brandon Nimmo signals that the Mets in the latter half of this decade will look very different than they did in the first half of it. Perhaps, that’s a good thing?
In August, as the Mets were sputtering along on their way to eventually slipping out of a playoff spot all together, I wrote about how this Met core has been mostly disappointing. I won’t go over a history lesson, but all told. Since 2021, when Francisco Lindor came to the team, this core of him, Nimmo, Alonso, and McNeil, have produced just one NLCS appearance in that time. That year was surrounded by either underperforming years like 2021 and 2023, or years where the team ran out of gas by September, like 2022 and 2025. I wrote on how maybe this core group of guys, while good on paper, might just not have the “it factor” or whatever it takes to take it to the next level.
Juan Soto was supposed to make this team better, but to no fault of his own, the 2025 Mets wound up with six less wins than the year before. When you spend stupid amounts of money and can’t even sneak into the playoffs on a wild card berth, something has to change. This might be the first domino of many to fall in what promises to be a very busy and perhaps tumultuous off season. David Stearns, through free agency, trades and even across MiLB levels, is starting to put his signature on this team. With the subtraction of Brandon Nimmo, almost all of the remaining contracts, outside of Francisco Lindor, were signed under Stearns. It happens in any profession. A new boss comes in, evaluates the company and then eventually wants to start hiring their own guys and starts dismissing those hired by their predecessor.
Looking beyond office politics, this move shows me that the Mets leadership is very confident in their farm system. Carson Benge and Jett Williams are on the doorstep of an MLB promotion. Do I think they’ll be here on Opening Day? No, neither of them are ready just yet, but the Mets sending Nimmo away are clearly confident that they’ll be in The Show soon and will stay awhile when they are there. The Mets have a surplus of outfielders from Benge, to Jett, to A.J Ewing, and even Nick Morabito, who was recently added to the 40-man roster. Steven Cohen has often said that he would prefer to build from within and sign veteran free agents for the short-term as they wait for prospects to become MLB-ready.
The move could also signify that perhaps the Mets plan to make a big splash in free agency again. Kyle Tucker is available and likely the richest prize on the market this off season. Moving Nimmo clears a spot for the 28-year-old slugger. If the Mets move in that direction, then they’ll have a robust farm system of outfielders that are blocked at the Major League level, and either Benge, Jett, Ewing, or more prospects could be on the move. The possibilities go on and on, but for that time being, let’s focus on the now.
While this move didn’t make the Mets younger, it does open the door for a new core to start emerging in Queens. I was trying to think of teams that moved a popular player and then went on the win the World Series. One that did come to mind was the 2004 Red Sox, who traded away fan favorite Nomar Garciaparra and replaced him with Orlando Cabrera. Nomar was the better player on paper, but Cabrera fit in with that team better, and three months later, they went on to win their first World Series in 86 years.
I’m not saying Nimmo and Nomar are the same player, but sometimes you have to tear it down to build back better. I don’t think the Mets are going to go into a rebuild mode, but I do think we’re about to witness one of the most interesting and perhaps controversial off seasons in the team’s history. In Cohen we trust? There’s 121 days until Opening Day, and 121 possibilities on what this will look like on March 26th.
16 comments:
The core could not make up for poor pitching
And teams need to develop their own pitching
And the Mets remain at least another year away from doing that
So
Blow up the core
Can Nimmo just become a DH? I think he could have shifted into that role, but the Mets need to leave that spot open. Hoping Simien ages gracefully, when he recovers from a broken foot, but that’s not for sure. In two years we will know if the Rangers suckered the Mets or the Mets dodged a long term downward spiral.
Why do you feel the Mets remain another year away? First, the Blue Jays were in last place, but still went for it and so they were rewarded and should have won. Personally, I feel the Mets are ok everywhere except the bullpen. Too, don’t forget that many metrics showed the Mets had some bad luck too.
Gus, I think The Three Amigos disappointed everyone at the end of the season. McLean did fine, but Tong and Sproat showed they need more time at AAA
The young pitchers will not take over in full until 2027
My guess is Texas called the Mets on this one and specifically asjed for Brandon.
That discussion led to who they would agree to and it became this guy
Tough to see a fan favorite go but provides so much flexibility to fundamentally change the DNA of the team. Sign Tucker!
The real question is who ages out worse, Marcus or Nimmo. Semien does knock out 3 future years of cap bashing.
If there is a strike soon that costs a few months of a season, the percentage of Semien’s last 3 seasons lost to the strike would be 11%, but for Nimmo just 5%. I hit as well as Barry Bonds, stats-wise, zero for zero, during a strike.
Fook fan favorites
Win baby win
I like Semien's second half stats last season
Will the Savannah Bananas still play if there is a strike 🤔
I will be shocked if they sign either Tucker or Bellinger. I think this signals that they’re looking at Benge for the OD roster, and my guess is that he plays one of the corner OF spots (where he’s an above avg defender), and that our starting CF isn’t on the roster yet. That CF will likely be a short-term answer, (keep an eye on Luis Robert Jr.) because I believe they see AJ Ewing as their CF of the future (‘27). I have a strong sense that Jett (who really isn’t a CF though he’s played some out there in the minors) goes as part of a package.
Bananas don’t strike, they split.
Adam, a shocker….
Luis Robert did not play much in the “second half”, but in 31 games, .298/.352/.456, and a K every 6.3 PAs.
What to make of that, I am not sure
Nimmo could probably ride a horse straight from Wyoming to Arizona for spring training.
They will release Semien early if he crashes out. Won’t be a problem. Get used to these types of long term deal swaps going forward. The league will have to develop creative ways to exit these deals as the all mature & age out. This is where the big budget teams have another structural advantage. The cap is really a non-issue: as long as they consistently compete for WS & develop talent to augment & replace over time. The key is also developing Elite talent & locking it up early. They need to develop generational talent in-house too
Well, he’s got a history of being a much better hitter than he’s shown most of the past two years, when he’s had some injury issues. And he’s only 28. I’d be happy with Buxton too, if he ends up available. Either way, I do think that they’re looking at AJ Ewing as their long-term CF’er, with Benge in a corner. And so I don’t expect them to sign a long-term deal with a FA OF.
Post a Comment