NY Mets, Rangers are in a virtual deadlock with the Brandon Nimmo-Marcus Semien trade

There might not be an offseason New York Mets transaction more worthy of dissecting over the next five years than the decision to swap Brandon Nimmo’s 5 years for two fewer of Semien. The Mets are paying a little more now with the idea that they’ll save money and create added roster flexibility as soon as 2029 when Semien is no longer on the roster.

Nimmo is still having a better year than Semien. However, it’s not as far off once you remove Nimmo’s hot start. 

Since April 13, when Nimmo entered slashing .367/.433/.554, he has been a .210/.291/.330 hitter. This includes 4 home runs and 13 RBI. During that same period, Semien is slashing .225/.273/.349 with 5 home runs and 17 RBI. Corporate wants you to spot the difference.

Brandon Nimmo and Marcus Semien have been uncomfortably similar for almost two months

Is it possible neither team comes away feeling like the winner? The Rangers wanted to buy into Nimmo’s offensive output, hitting the ball harder than ever these last few years. Evolving from a leadoff hitter with good walk numbers to a guy good for 20-25 home runs and 90 RBI every year, they were wise to move on from Semien who clearly is more cooked than that macaroni and cheese you forgot about.

Nimmo, meanwhile, is looking like the kind of player the Mets got rid of just in time.

Semien hasn’t been much different in this stretch than he was prior. It’s Nimmo who has crashed and burned. Through the first few games it was looking like the narrative around this trade was “how could they?” and today it’s more of a double TKO.

There won’t be any official winner of this trade for at least a few years with 2026 representing only one chapter. We can already see how the Mets have benefitted from the trade. Juan Soto in left field is more appealing than having him in right field although with the Rangers shifting Nimmo to right field themselves, one can wonder if there was always a solution for the Mets on a defensive front. Bigger is how the Mets now have Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing in the outfield alongside Soto. Nimmo would have reluctantly taken on a larger DH role. 

It’s possible the Mets end up winning this trade simply because they aren’t affected by it sooner than the Rangers. We’ll wait to pass our full judgment on this trade until at least two full seasons have passed. Right now, neither organization should feel satisfied. other than the fact they didn't keep a guy they wanted to move on from.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow