The Rangers are losing a key piece of the 2023 World Series championship roster.
According to multiple reports, including ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan, the New York Mets are sending Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers for Marcus Semien, in a trade of two long-term contracts. Nimmo is due $102.5 million over the next five seasons, while Semien is set to make $72 million over the next three years. The seven-year, $175 million deal he signed with the Rangers is set to expire after the 2028 season.
The one-for-one move will lower New York's payroll to potentially re-sign Pete Alonso or free up an outfield spot vacated by Nimmo to pave the way for a bigger free agent like Kyle Tucker or Cody Bellinger, should Steve Cohen have the appetite to splurge again this winter.
Semien recently turned 35 and is coming off a year in which he significantly dipped in production. After a second straight All-Star campaign in 2024, Semien hit just .230 with 15 home runs in 127 games. His season was cut short after a fractured foot suffered in August. The injury is an outlier, as he led the league in games played four times since 2019.
The two-time Silver Slugger had a career year in 2021, mashing 45 home runs with the Blue Jays to earn his big contract with the Rangers. He hasn’t hit more than 29 in a season since, and has posted an OPS below .700 each of the last two years.
Nimmo, who reportedly waived his no-trade clause to be dealt to Texas, leaves the only team he has known as a major leaguer after spending the last decade in a Mets uniform. The former first-round pick hit 25 home runs with 92 RBI last season, playing in 155 games, his fourth straight year in which he played at least in 150 games. The 32-year-old compiled a 2.9 WAR in what was a massively disappointing season for the Mets, missing the playoffs after falling on the final day of the regular season.