It's not often that one veteran gets traded for another these days in Major League Baseball.
That's what the Texas Rangers pulled off with the New York Mets on Sunday, though.
Brandon Nimmo is coming to Arlington, while it's Marcus Semien being sent out to Queens.
It's a deal to which ESPN assigned a C+ grade for the Rangers.
Nimmo is a better hitter on paper at this point than Semien, although Semien just won a Gold Glove, evening out some of the value.
"The project in Texas is clear," writes ESPN. "It's about not just improving the offensive production but also pursuing that goal by shifting the focus of the attack. Nimmo's power bat is a slim upgrade on Semien and a downgrade from (Adolis) Garcia. But Nimmo is a much better hitter for average than both, and he has the best plate discipline of the trio. These are both traits the Rangers' offense very much needed."
Adolis Garcia, mentioned above, was recently non-tendered by the Rangers, giving them a hole in the outfield. They also non-tendered the formerly reliable catcher Jonah Heim, so they're clearly looking to shake things up in the lineup.
Nimmo does have a worse contract setup going forward than Semien, although not on the 2026 books.
"The Rangers can worry about the real downside of Nimmo's deal later," ESPN writes. "For now, they can hope that moving to a new vista for the first time will boost Nimmo's numbers, which have settled a tier below where they were during his Mets prime."
It should end up being quite a fascinating trade. It won't take long to determine which side got the better end of the deal, because there's no waiting around for prospects or anything. These are two players who will be in Opening Day lineups looking to prove they can still get the job done.
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