11/24/25 10:35:00
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11/24 10:33 CST Rangers trade Marcus Semien to Mets for Brandon Nimmo and cash
Rangers trade Marcus Semien to Mets for Brandon Nimmo and cash
By STEPHEN HAWKINS and RONALD BLUM
AP Baseball Writers
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) --- The Texas Rangers have traded Gold Glove second
baseman Marcus Semien to the New York Mets in exchange for outfielder Brandon
Nimmo and cash.
The deal announced Monday ends Nimmo's 10-year run with the Mets to start his
career. A person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press that
Nimmo agreed to waive the no-trade provision in the $162 million, eight-year
contract he signed after becoming a free agent for the first time after the
2022 season. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because that
detail wasn't released.
Nimmo is due annual salaries of $20.25 million each season through 2030, and
the 32-year-old left-handed hitter will get an additional $1 million assignment
bonus from the Mets for waiving the no-trade provision. As part of the trade,
the Mets will send Texas $5 million by Sept. 18.
Semien has three seasons and $72 million remaining on the $175 million,
seven-year contract he signed with the Rangers in December 2021. That was at
the same time they, also in free agency, added World Series MVP shortstop Corey
Seager on a $325 million, 10-year contract.
That half-billion dollar middle infield helped the Rangers win their only World
Series title in 2023. But that was the only winning record the past nine
seasons for the team that this year finished .500 (81-81) for the first time in
franchise history.
Slugging outfielder Adolis Garca, switch-hitting catcher Jonah Heim and
right-handed reliever Josh Sborz, three other players who had significant roles
in the World Series championship, all became free agents Friday when the
Rangers didn't tender any of them contracts for 2026.
The 35-year-old Semien won his second Gold Glove this season, even though he
missed the final 5 1/2 weeks, not playing again after fouling a pitch off his
foot Aug. 20. That was only the second time in his 13 big league seasons he has
been on the injured list.
Before that injury, Semien had missed only six of the Rangers' 615 games since
joining them before the 2022 season. He hit .230 with 15 homers, 62 RBIs and 62
runs in 127 games this year, and .249 with 93 homers and 319 RBIs in his four
seasons in Texas.
In 1,629 career games with the Chicago White Sox (2013-14), Oakland (2015-20),
Toronto (2021) and Texas, the three-time All-Star has a .253 batting average
with 253 homers and 801 RBIs. He set career highs with 45 homers and 102 RBIs
in his only season with Blue Jays before going to Texas in free agency.
Nimmo was drafted 13th overall out of high school by the Mets in the 2011
amateur draft. He has a .364 career on-base percentage, including 583 starts as
a leadoff hitter. He has scored at least 81 runs in each of the past three
seasons since a career-best 102 in 2022.
Most of his at-bats this season were from the middle of the batting order, and
he hit .262 --- the same as his career average --- with single-season highs of
25 homers and 92 RBIs in 155 games. He has 135 homers and 463 RBIs in his 1,066
games.
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Ron Blum reported from New York.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
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