Rangers Trade Marcus Semien to Mets

By Nate Miller

Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

November 23, 2025

The Texas Rangers have sent Marcus Semien to the New York Mets in exchange for Brandon Nimmo. News of the trade was first reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN. Both teams have yet to confirm the deal.

Nimmo’s No-Trade Clause

Nimmo has agreed to waive his no-trade clause, according to a report from The Athletic. The outfielder, who turned 32 in March, signed an eight-year, $162 million contract with the Mets in December 2022. Semien, who signed a seven-year, $175 million contract with the Rangers in December 2021, does not have a no-trade clause.

Plenty of Rumors

Reports emerged earlier this week that the Mets were open to moving Nimmo, so it isn’t surprising to see the veteran outfielder’s time in Queens come to an end. However, a straight-up swap for Semien is eye-opening, given how Semien is coming off a disappointing season at the plate and comes with a significant future price tag in his own right.

Semien has $72 million and three seasons remaining on the seven-year, $175MM free agent deal he signed with the Rangers. That occurred during the 2021-22 offseason. Nimmo is owed $101.25 million through the 2030 season. He has completed three years of the eight-year, $162 million free agent deal he signed to remain with the Mets in December 2022. Since luxury tax figures are recalculated to account for remaining money owed in the wake of trades, Semien’s tax number is $24 million, and Nimmo has a $20.25 million figure.

Addressing Needs

While the financial details can’t be overlooked, the trade is also something of an old-school need-for-need “baseball deal.” This allows both sides to address needs. Beginning with the Rangers, the team was prioritizing a different offensive approach based around contact hitting and getting on base.

Nimmo’s strikeout rates have been overall middling throughout his career. His chase and whiff rates have been consistently better than average. Nimmo’s walk rates had also been strong before suddenly dropping to 7.7% in 2025. That was a career-low for the outfielder over a full season. Still, Nimmo slashed .262/.324/.436 with 25 homers over 652 plate appearances, translating to a 114 wRC+ over 652 plate appearances as the Mets’ everyday left fielder.