Rangers deal ex-Blue Jay Marcus Semien to Mets for outfielder Brandon Nimmo, cash

The Texas Rangers 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 career with the Mets. A person familiar with the agreement told The Associated Press that Nimmo agreed to waive the no-trade clause in the eight-year, $162 million U.S. 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 the detail is not public.

Nimmo is scheduled to pay an annual salary of $20.25 million each season through 2030, and the 32-year-old left-handed hitter will receive an additional $1 million bonus from the Mets for waiving his no-trade clause. As part of the deal, the Mets will send $5 million to Texas by Sept. 18.

Semien, who played the 2021 campaign with the Toronto Blue Jays, has three seasons and $72 million remaining on the seven-year, $175 million contract he signed with the Rangers in December 2021. This was at the same time that they, also in free agency, added World Series MVP Corey Seager on a 10-year deal worth $325 million.

That half-billion-dollar middle infield helped the Rangers win their only World Series title in 2023. But it was the only winning record in the last nine seasons for a team that this year finished .500 (81-81) for the first time in franchise history.

Outfielder Adolis Garcia, batting catcher Jonah Heim and right-handed hitter Josh Sborz, three other players who played significant roles in the World Series championship, all became free agents on Friday when the Rangers did not offer any of them contracts through 2026.

Semien, 35, won his second Gold Glove this season, although he missed the final 5 1/2 weeks and didn't play again after fouling off a pitch on Aug. 20. It was only the second time in 13 major league seasons that he was on the injured list.

Prior to this injury, Semien had missed only six of the Rangers' 615 games since joining them ahead of the 2022 season. He hit .230 with 15 homers, 62 at-bats and 62 runs batted in in 127 games this year, and .249 with 93 homers and 319 RBIs in four seasons at 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, 253 homers and 801 RBIs. He set career highs with 45 homers and 102 RBIs in his only season with the Blue Jays before heading to Texas as a free agent.

Nimmo was selected 13th overall out of high school by the Mets in the 2011 amateur draft. His on-base percentage is .364, including 583 starts as a leadoff hitter. He has scored at least 81 runs in each of the last three seasons, starting with a career-best 102 in 2022.

Most of his hits this season have been from the middle of the pack, 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 1,066 games.

Schaeffer became the eighth captain in Rockies history.

The Colorado Rockies announced Monday that they have promoted Warren Schaeffer to full-time manager.

Schaeffer assumed the role on an interim basis after the Rockies fired Bud Black, the winningest manager in franchise history, in May after a 7-33 start.

The Rockies finished the season with a 43–119 record and were in last place in the NL West.

Schaeffer becomes the eighth full-time manager in the club's history. The 40-year-old has been a member of the Rockies organization for more than a decade.

“We are confident that Warren is the right person to lead our club forward,” said Rockies President of Baseball Operations Paul DePodesta. “He has developed strong relationships with our players, understands the culture of this franchise and embodies the energy and work ethic we need on and off the field.”