Marcus Semien addition seals Jeff McNeil's fate, here's where NY Mets will trade him

The New York Mets just made the first blockbuster trade of the offseason, sending veteran outfielder Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers for middle infielder Marcus Semien. Nimmo was the longest-tenured Mets player, making his MLB debut in 2016. However, the Mets trading Nimmo for Semien all but confirms that fellow Mets stalwart Jeff McNeil is on the trading block next, and he could be on the move to the West Coast.

McNeil batted .243/.335/.411 with a .324 wOBA, and 111 wRC+ over 462 plate appearances. The infielder/outfielder fully leaned into his pull-side power, as he went yard a dozen times with his best isolated slugging percentage since 2019 at .168. His pulled flyball rate of 26.9% completely dwarfs his previous career high rate of 22.8%, which was set in 2024. However, it didn’t come at the cost of his plate discipline. McNeil only struck out 11.9% of the time with a career-best 10.6% mark.

McNeil’s primary position is second base, and he had +2 defensive runs saved and +4 outs above average in 575.2 innings at the keystone. Interestingly, the Mets gave McNeil a look in center field this season. While he has ample career experience in both outfield corners, he has only ever seen 16 innings up the middle prior to 2025. His defense did not grade out well, however, with -3 DRS and -1 OAA in 209 innings. 

However, the Mets are likely to move the remaining $17.75 million guaranteed remaining on his contract (owed $15.75 million in 2026 with a $2 million buyout for 2027, or a team option worth $15.75 million). Plus, the Mets’ second base picture is as crowded as ever with Semien now in the mix. Along with Semien and McNeil, the Mets have Luisangel Acuna and Ronny Mauricio on hand. Jett Williams is a consensus top 100 prospect, A.J. Ewing is coming off a strong 2025, and the Mets’ 2025 first-round pick, Mitch Voit, is a second baseman. Even Brett Baty proved he is capable of playing the position (although most of his time will come at third base in 2026).

Jeff McNeil could soon be dealt to an unexpected team.

It seems the best fit for a McNeil trade is the Athletics. Athletics second basemen put up some very dismal numbers in 2025, batting a meager .199/.267/.283 with a .249 wOBA, and 53 wRC+. Their 21.8% K% was about the only number that wasn’t objectively poor. They walked in only 7.4% of their plate appearances, and delivered 11 home runs and a .084 isolated slugging percentage. To make matters worse, they weren’t a solid defensive unit either, with -6 DRS and -3 OAA. This all culminated in a -1.6 fWAR.

The A’s have yet to add anyone this offseason to help improve their dire situation at second base, nor do they have an immediate answer in the minor leagues. Top prospect and 2025 trade deadline acquisition Leo De Vries is the closest thing the A’s have, but he just reached Double-A this season, where he only appeared in 21 games before the end of the year, and turned 19 in October.

Given the A’s usually cheap approach to the offseason, they may seem like an unlikely team, but they are reportedly willing to increase payroll this offseason. They need an actual holdover at second base, and the Mets have plenty of middle infielders. McNeil only has one guaranteed year left on his contract, so they don’t have to commit a ton of money over a long period of time. While it may be sad for Mets fans to depart with the two longest tenured players in one offseason, it seems like something that has to happen moving forward, and McNeil to the A’s makes a lot of sense, even if the A’s are an unexpected fit.