NEW YORK, NY — The New York Mets and Texas Rangers finalized a trade just over a week ago to kick off the surprising times of MLB’s offseason where unexpected moves in the trade market come knocking on the doors of front offices.
Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns will never be accused of either being complacent or sentimental. He proved that by trading the longest-tenured Met, and fan favorite, 32-year-old outfielder Brandon Nimmo, to the Texas Rangers in exchange for 35-year-old second baseman Marcus Semien.
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The immediate reaction to the first big trade of the off-season was not favorable to Stearns. Most Mets fans were incredulous he would trade an outfielder who hit 25 home runs in 2025 and always hustled, for an infielder who was three years older and who finished last season on the injured list with a broken foot thanks to a foul ball off his bat. His offense has declined over the last two years. He finished 2025 with a very ordinary .230 batting average.
As if to rub salt into their wounds, many Philadelphia Phillies fan social media sites were ecstatic the Mets had jettisoned Nimmo. Many recalled the many times Nimmo came up with big hits at Citizens Bank Park to propel the Mets to victory over their team.
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From an economic viewpoint, Semien will be earning $24 million on average over the next three seasons, while Nimmo gets $20 million per year, although his contract goes two years longer than that of Semien. The Brandon Nimmo trade creates a vacancy in left field. It is imperative Stearns finds a major upgrade, or he will be pilloried by both Mets fans and the local sports media.
At his Zoom press briefing last Monday, David Stearns, who has become synonymous with the term “run prevention,” touted Marcus Semien’s many Gold Glove Awards, and his ability to get ground balls across wide swaths of the infield. He also believed Semien’s offensive numbers would improve in 2026. Semien has had a respectable thirteen-year career even if age may be catching up with his playing skills.
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It was clear in Stearns’ post-trade Zoom address that he remains haunted by the Mets’ failure to make the playoffs last season. He looked beleaguered telling the media that running back the same team as last year was not an option. He was elusive answering questions as to whether there were personality issues in the clubhouse which had to be addressed.
Brandon Nimmo had a full no-trade clause in his contract. After the trade was completed, he admitted he thought he would be like David Wright as a lifelong Met who would get his #9 uniform hung in the rafters. Going to Texas, which does not have a state income tax, helped him agree to waive that stipulation, but my guess is Nimmo was not happy with either some of his teammates or Mets management.
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Nimmo was also the Mets’ union representative. With a work stoppage coming in 2027, Stearns may have been concerned Nimmo’s labor duties might distract him on the field. That happened with Michael Conforto in 2021.
Nimmo’s Impact in Queens
Brandon Nimmo will undoubtedly be inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame after he retires. He has earned that privilege from what he has done on the field, and more importantly, off it. He never minded signing autographs for fans even after a loss. He was always accommodating to media from all outlets, unlike too many other athletes who only concern themselves with those they deem to be important.
Image Credit: Simon Lindenblatt/Latino Sports
This past September, Brandon and I were talking about the upcoming labor negotiations between the team owners and the Major League Baseball Players Association. As we were finishing the conversation, he recalled how we first met in Savannah when he was playing for the Mets’ then South Atlantic League affiliate, the Savannah Sand Gnats, in 2012. I was working on a travel story there at the time. Obviously, I will miss seeing him in Flushing.
Semien looking forward to playing in Orange and Blue
Marcus Semien is a quality player, and has a reputation for being a good teammate, as well as giving thoughtful answers to queries from the sporting press. His introductory Zoom media appearance to New York fans and media could have been done better, however. He said all the right things about coming to the Mets, but it appeared he was reading off a Teleprompter while speaking in a monotone.
New York sports fans want authenticity, not canned, well-rehearsed responses.
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Induction and Award season for Sports Broadcasters and Voices
Mets SNY broadcaster, and Flushing native, Gary Cohen is under consideration for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. The competition for the Ford C. Frick is fierce as it includes such notable baseball voices as John Sterling, Joe Buck, Brian Anderson, and John Rooney.
Annual Queens Baseball Convention on Saturday, December 13th
The annual Queens Baseball Convention will be taking place at the Four Points by Sheraton in Flushing on Saturday, December 13. Among the notables who will appear are former Mets manager Terry Collins, Mets Hall of Fame relief pitcher Jesse Orosco, and infielder Brett Baty. SNY will hold a “Baseball Night in New York” panel featuring Newsday Mets beat writer Laura Albanese, SNY air personality Andy Martino, and Mets radio voice Keith Raad. Sal Licata will host it.
Cris Collinsworth calls his 500th NFL game
Cris Collinsworth, who has won numerous Sports Emmy Awards, reached a broadcasting milestone last week as he called his 500th NFL game as an analyst.
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That total does not include the hundreds of appearances he made as a panelist on “Inside the NFL” when it aired on HBO. Collinsworth’s secret sauce is mixing clever wit with his detailed knowledge of the Xs and Os.
Monsters Funday Football for Eagles-Chargers on Monday, December 8th
If you have enjoyed watching NFL games on Nickelodeon with its use of its intellectual animated property such as SpongeBob SquarePants, and its trademark slime, then you should enjoy the alternate “Monday Night Football” telecast on ESPN2 and Disney Plus this coming Monday, December 8, when the Philadelphia Eagles travel to Los Angeles to play the Chargers.
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The game will be receiving the Hollywood cartoon treatment as the Eagles and Chargers players will be represented by avatars with characters from “Monsters, Inc.” taking part in the festivities.
St. John’s Men’s Basketball returns to ESPN Radio
It is good to have St. John’s Red Storm Men’s Basketball games back on 50,000-watt, 880 AM, WHSQ. For too long you had to search for it on WWDJ (970 AM) which has a very weak signal. John Minko is back doing play-by-play.
Garden Cup set for Monday, December 8th at MSG
Professional tennis returns to New York City this Monday, December 8, for the first time since the conclusion of the 2025 US Open in Flushing Meadows. Naomi Osaka will take on 2025 US Open women’s champion Aryna Sabalenka, while on the men’s side, Nick Kyrgios opposed Tommy Paul at Madison Square Garden. They will be competing for the Garden Cup.
Image Credit: Madison Square Garden
Racquet at the Rock on Sunday, December 7th
There is a better tennis card at Newark’s Prudential Center one day earlier, on Sunday, December 7. Carlos Alcaraz will face Frances Tiafoe, while New Jersey native Amanda Anisimova will battle Jessica Pegula at the Racquet at the Rock.
Gotham FC wins 2025 National Women’s Soccer League Championship
Congratulations to Gotham FC which won the 2025 National Women’s Soccer League Championship. They were feted with a parade down Broadway and a ceremony in front of City Hall last Monday.
The NWSL championship game, in which they defeated the Washington Spirit by a score of 1-0, was broadcast by CBS in primetime on Saturday night two weeks ago. Frankly, CBS should be showing NWSL games every Saturday night during the autumn instead of airing reruns.
Image Credit: NWSL
It would be an effective way to counterprogram the glut of college football games which air on various networks on fall Saturday nights.
Remembering and Paying Tribute to Jimmy Cliff
The music world lost a giant last week with the passing of reggae star Jimmy Cliff. He never achieved the mythical status which Bob Marley did, but he was a prolific and talented songwriter. His breakthrough hit was 1969’s upbeat “Wonderful World, Beautiful People,” That was followed by “Many Rivers to Cross” and “The Harder They Come.” He also got exposure in the mid-1970s when Johnny Rivers covered a pair of his compositions, “Sitting Here in Limbo” and “You Can Get It If You Really Want It.” Jimmy Cliff was 81.
Listening to Boston’s WMEX Worldwide
If you are looking for a fun oldies radio station, try Boston’s WMEX. It broadcasts over 1510 on the AM dial in New England, but it can be heard worldwide at wmexboston.com. WMEX has a deeper playlist than most other radio stations which play pop music from the latter half of the 20th century. That includes the entire music lineup of SiriusXM. They also employ deejays who have personalities who remind you of the great AM jocks of yesteryear. They even have a reverb which adds to the retro fun.
You can read more of Lloyd Carroll’s columns posted weekly on The Queens Chronicle.
