ARLINGTON — Brandon Nimmo is aware of he might have been a lifelong Met.
He is aware of there might have been an opportunity — if he saved producing at a excessive degree — that his quantity was within the rafters at Citi Discipline alongside David Wright’s. Nimmo owns a home in Port St. Lucie, Fla., the place the Mets have their Spring Coaching dwelling. He’s by no means even recognized one other group.
So when David Stearns requested if Nimmo would waive his no-trade clause to finalize a deal that might ship him to Texas, he knew he had some pondering to do.
Stearns took the potential of a commerce to Nimmo on Thursday. On the time, his no-trade clause was the one factor standing in the way in which of its completion. By Sunday night time, he was a Texas Ranger.
“It positively took me as a shock,” Nimmo stated. “We had form of constructed this life centered round that we had been going to be New York Mets till the very finish. … I wanted to know that the Rangers had been dedicated to making an attempt to win a World Sequence. That this wasn’t a rebuild that I used to be coming into. That this was someplace that I used to be extraordinarily needed and was someplace that I felt like we might be competing for World Sequence titles, yr in and yr out. [Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young] made that abundantly clear.”
Earlier than waiving his no-trade clause, Nimmo reached out to Rangers ace Jacob deGrom, who was a longtime teammate of his in New York. deGrom affirmed every thing that Younger instructed Nimmo — this can be a workforce that’s firmly making an attempt to compete.
“[deGrom] has nothing however superb issues to say concerning the Rangers,” Nimmo stated. “He is been on either side, and he has completely thrived on this setting. He thinks that we’re able to successful a World Sequence. …We’re not in a rebuild mode. We’re going for it. This subsequent season is a really thrilling time for the Texas Rangers. I’d not have waived the no-trade clause if I didn’t assume that I might come right here and be part of chasing that World Sequence.”
This commerce makes Semien the newest participant from the 2023 World Sequence-winning squad to depart the group. The Rangers parted with Adolis García, Jonah Heim and Josh Sborz at Friday’s non-tender deadline. García particularly opened up the necessity for one more outfielder in Nimmo.
Younger emphasised that — like he instructed Nimmo — the Rangers are targeted on successful transferring ahead, at the same time as they half methods with franchise favorites.
“The final two years have been very troublesome as we really feel like we’ve not lived as much as our expectations,” Younger stated. “When you do not meet expectations, it’s important to make powerful calls. That is a part of it. … We really feel like this was a call that was mandatory for us. We’re wanting ahead to Brandon serving to us obtain nice issues transferring ahead.”
And sure, it’s clear that the Rangers wouldn’t have made this transfer if Nimmo wasn’t the very best addition to assist the membership return to postseason rivalry. However extra importantly, this week’s roster strikes are simply the begin to fixing an offense that ranked twenty fifth in wRC+ (92), twenty sixth in slugging (.381) and twenty second in runs (684) this previous season.
Operating again the very same roster — or near it — was merely not an choice. Nimmo isn’t a world beater. However he’s an influence bat that may slot into the highest half of the Rangers’ lineup and arrange sluggers like Corey Seager and Wyatt Langford for RBI alternatives.
In 2025, Nimmo slashed .262/.324/.436 with a 114 wRC+. Seager and Langford had been the one two Rangers hitters who carried out higher.
“I believe that having a participant who shouldn’t be going to be a platoon participant is large,” Younger stated. “It offers us extra flexibility in taking a few of these different gamers which can be versatile and having the ability to unfold them across the diamond. It is a actually, actually large transfer, in our opinion, by way of creating some stability and consistency within the lineup. I believe it will make us higher, and it permits us to deploy another gamers in methods that may make us fairly harmful.”
