Another shocking trade the NY Mets could make after shipping out Brandon Nimmo

Well, there you have it, folks. After speculation of Brandon Nimmo's fit on the team simmered over the past few weeks, it boiled over and resulted in the New York Mets' first big move of the offseason. The club shockingly shipped Nimmo out in exchange for veteran second baseman Marcus Semien.

As difficult as it is to see a fan favorite like Nimmo move on, early reviews are positive. Nimmo had become a defensive liability, especially with Juan Soto's statuesque play in the other outfield corner. Meanwhile, second base needed an upgrade, and although Semien has struggled with the bat recently, he's fresh off his second Gold Glove award.

This has us thinking about what could be next. There are plenty of sensible moves that David Stearns could make, and he now has a void in the outfield he needs to fill. What if he dips back into the trade market and gets really wild? How's Fernando Tatis Jr. sound?

The Mets could follow up the Brandon Nimmo deal with a shocking trade for Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr.

Other than Tatis Jr. being one of the game's brightest stars and just entering his prime going into his age-27 season, the move makes a lot of sense for the Mets. The three-time All-Star has two Platinum Gloves on his resume, making the transition from Nimmo a gigantic upgrade in terms of David Stearns' run-prevention edict.

The Padres have come out and explicitly said that they aren't trading Tatis Jr., but there's more than meets the eye. Padres' ownership has been in turmoil ever since Peter Seidler passed away in November of 2023, and amid the power struggle and financial woes, the Seidler family is exploring selling the franchise.

Tatis Jr. has nine years and roughly $292 million left on his deal, meaning he's a huge liability on the balance sheet. Clearing that salary would go a long way towards facilitating a sale of the team. And, of course, the Padres aren't going to kill any leverage they have and come out and put him on the block directly.

Steve Cohen's wallet is one of the few in baseball that can absorb what's left of Tatis Jr's. deal, but that doesn't mean that the superstar will come cheap. The Padres likely still want to compete, and they'll need some cost-controlled young talent with some shine if they're going to move on from such a prominent player. The Mets happen to have exactly what they need.

A package headlined by catcher Francisco Alvarez and a young starter like either Jonah Tong or Brandon Sproat would get San Diego's attention. The Padres' catching situation has been dire for a while, and in 2025, their backstops combined for a 70 wRC+ while producing 0.1 fWAR, a total that was 28th in the league. Meanwhile, they stand to lose both Dylan Cease and Michael King from their rotation in free agency.

The Mets will have to add a prospect or two as a kicker, but Tatis Jr.'s massive salary will keep the price low enough that Stearns won't have to sell the whole farm to get it done.

This would certainly be a shocking development, so don't count on it happening, but it is within the realm of possibility and would be the absolute best follow-up the Mets could come up with via the trade market.