If NY Mets history is repeating itself, the Brandon Nimmo trade was premature

David Stearns gets a lot of criticism and praise when the truth is somewhere in the middle. One thing we can’t argue about is how each of his first two offseasons leading the New York Mets included some premature moves in November.

The Mets signed Joey Wendle on November 30. Less than a year later on November 19, 2024, they traded for Jose Siri. Less than two weeks later on December 1, they agreed to terms with Frankie Montas and finalized a deal a few days later.

Three terribly bad Mets roster additions that ended with a DFA, the thing they have most in common is how quickly they were completed rather than waiting to see other opportunities develop.

If Mets history is going to repeat itself, we need to worry about Marcus Semien

The Mets-Texas Rangers swap this past Sunday caught many of us off-guard. At least we had Brandon Nimmo trade rumors leading up to it to prepare ourselves emotionally. It wasn’t completely out of left field.

Fans have spent a good part of the last week debating the trade. All can conclude it means the Mets need to respond with a big addition to justify the loss of what Nimmo brought as an offensive player.

Believing Marcus Semien will fail in New York because he was acquired in November is like believing every number 22 will win a World Series MVP for the Mets. It’s coincidental. It’s not a guarantee. What can be true is better opportunities to trade Nimmo may have erupted if Stearns held on.

The opposite argument could certainly be made as well, though. There’s no telling if the deal would’ve been taken off the table quicker than a Kevin O’Leary offer on Shark Tank when the equity drops below 30%. Nimmo’s value is questionable with something as high as being a cheaper alternative to Kyle Tucker being the high of what he can offer a team to the low including the lack of All-Star selections and MVP votes on his resume. Nimmo, even at his best, has never cracked the upper echelon of outfielders in the game.

Semien is at the age where a player can suddenly fall off a cliff. Roberto Alomar is the first who comes to mind for most fans. Was there a better player, possibly a pitcher, the Mets could have acquired for Nimmo? We’ll find out in a little under 365 days for sure if the Mets, once again, jumped the gun on an offseason transaction. It’ll take a few more revolutions around the sound to have a more definitive answer.