JJ: “For the Mets. The Core Is a Changin'”
New York, New York
By John Jastremski
Sunday was the first of many big moves by David Stearns and the Mets braintrust this winter.
Make no mistake, Sunday was a trade that was a bit of a shock to the system. Brandon Nimmo, the popular outfielder and longest tenured Met was traded for Rangers Infielder Marcus Semien.
My initial reaction was of surprise, but not shock. If you follow the team closely and listen to the chatter and smoke that was being reported over the past week, it became obvious that Nimmo despite his no trade clause was being shopped.
If you also took a listen to what David Stearns had to say throughout this offseason, the theme of athleticism and run prevention was going to be a major point of emphasis in improving the club.
At this stage of Nimmo’s career, his defense and athleticism is most certainly in decline. On the flip side, despite his age, Semien’s defense profiled incredibly well at 2nd base.
Look, if we are comparing the back of the baseball card in 2025, I won’t pretend to say the Mets instantly improved their baseball team just based upon this trade.
They didn’t, but they did accomplish a major goal.
Yes, not only did the Mets get better defensively, they now have a lot more flexibility to swing big in the outfield this offseason. Does that mean Free Agent Outfielders Kyle Tucker or Cody Bellinger? Does it mean a trade for athletic players such as Byron Buxton and Ketel Marte?
The opportunities and flexibility within the roster now must be taken advantage of by David Stearns and the Met brass.
Look, it’s never fun trading a life long Met or the longest tenured player on your team. However, after the way the 2025 season finished up, you couldn’t simply run it back.
You can’t play as poorly as the Mets played, miss the postseason and make zero significant moves when it comes to changing the core of your team.
Brandon Nimmo’s departure was the first signal that nobody from last year’s group should feel safe.
Now, let’s see what the rest of the winter brings.
You can listen to my podcast New York, New York on The Ringer podcast network on Spotify/Apple Podcasts every Sunday & Thursday. You can watch me nightly on Honda Sports Nite at 11 PM on SNY.