When we all first saw the New York Mets were trading Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers for Marcus Semien, many thoughts crossed our minds. The strangest might have come courtesy of Buster Olney.
Before a brief dive in Semien’s defensive stats from last year, Olney made a vague suggestion that Nimmo’s departure now assures us we’re getting a C on Francisco Lindor’s jersey next year.
The trade of Brandon Nimmo clears the way for Francisco Lindor to be named captain of the Mets at some point.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) November 23, 2025
Marcus Semien on defense in 2025:
+7 OAA
+5 DRS
What does Buster Olney know that we don’t?
Buster Olney seems to think the only reason the Mets haven’t named Francisco Lindor a captain is because of Brandon Nimmo
Could things be this catty behind the scenes where the Mets were holding back a captaincy because of Nimmo’s presence? It seems like every losing season for the Mets has some fallout and speculation about something being “off” in the clubhouse. We heard it plenty at the end of 2023 with Tommy Pham proclaiming the position players didn’t work very hard. Stories about something being “off” this last year with the clubhouse chemistry came from Ken Rosenthal.
Fans don’t want to hear anything negative behind the scenes. When it involves players as important as Nimmo and Lindor, many are inclined to believe it’s the national media trying to stir up drama. After all, what gets read more than LOLMets?
The captain debate is one of the stranger, ongoing ones with the Mets. And frankly, if Nimmo was a hurdle to give Lindor the captain’s C, wouldn’t Juan Soto have some sort of an issue with it as well? It’s a strange look when someone getting paid twice as much isn’t viewed as the leader even when the other guy (Lindor) has been with the team longer and has the greater pedigree to be named the captain.
No locker room is perfect and certainly Adam Ottavino’s comments from last week criticizing the use of relievers didn’t paint a pretty picture for management.
Olney either knows something and is hinting at dismay or is going with his gut that we hope doesn’t involve betting the family farm like when he did with George Springer landing with the Mets.
