The New York Mets turned up the hot stove on Sunday night after news broke that they had traded long-time Met, Brandon Nimmo, to the Texas Rangers for second baseman, Marcus Semien.
While the trade came off as a surprise at first, it wasn’t a secret that the Mets would be very active this winter considering the disappointing finish to their season in 2025. Given Nimmo’s age and dollar amount left on his contract along with his weaknesses as a defender, Mets fans had to expect that he could be on the chopping block.
While departing with a homegrown talent such as Nimmo hurts, this move was simply the first of many dominos to fall for New York this winter.
With a spot now open in the outfield, the Mets should be one of the favorites to land Cody Bellinger, and could potentially be in the sweepstakes for Kyle Tucker. While either Tucker or Bellinger would be an upgrade over Nimmo headed into 2026, there are a few names that might be overlooked at the moment as pieces that would help the team in other areas.
3 players Mets must pursue after trading for Marcus Semien
Fernando Tatis Jr.
While there hasn’t been an official report that the San Diego Padres are shopping Fernando Tatis Jr., there has been plenty of buzz around Tatis Jr. As potentially the biggest trade chip in baseball this offseason. Entering his age-27 season with nine years left on his contract at a $24.2 million AAV, Tatis is a wildly attractive piece (at least while in his prime).
The acquisition of Marcus Semien for Brandon Nimmo emphasizes New York’s desire to improve defensively, and the reigning and two-time Platinum Glove winner would only help that regard. A trade for Tatis would command quite the haul, but the Mets are one of only a few organizations that might have the capital (both financially and in terms of prospects) to make this deal happen.
Dylan Cease
The Mets are in need of an ace, and Dylan Cease is arguably the best starting pitcher on the free-agent market. While his 2025 stat line was not indicative of a true ace (4.55 ERA in 168 innings), it would be unwise to completely disregard what Cease has done throughout his career. Since the start of 2021, only six pitchers have thrown more innings than Cease (884.0), and only three have accrued more fWAR (20.6).
Starting pitching was a weakness for the Mets in 2025, as they ranked 27th in innings thrown by starters (796.0) and 18th in starter ERA (4.13). David Peterson was the acting ace for the Mets in 2025 as he led the way with 3.1 fWAR across 168 ⅔ innings. While they can’t complain about those numbers from Peterson, they can’t rely on him to be their frontline starter if the goal is to compete for a World Series.
The Mets don’t currently have any large dollar amounts tied up in pitchers, and Cease won’t command a back-breaking amount; he’s projected to make roughly $150 million across six years.
Freddy Peralta
The Mets are obviously all-in on winning in 2026. If that wasn’t the case, the return for Brandon Nimmo would not have been an aging second baseman with $72 million left on his contract. As previously stated, they are going to have to improve the starting rotation if they want to continue competing.
In contrast to Dylan Cease, the addition of Freddy Peralta would be the more cost-effective route if they want to save some money to retain Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz, or make a big splash on a big-time free agent such as Kyle Tucker.
Peralta is in the same tier of pitcher as Cease, and is only due $8 million in 2026. However, it’s his final season before free agency, so the Mets would really be banking on a big year from him. On the flip side, the Mets have a number of promising young arms with years of control, so there’s hardly any long-term damage done if Peralta were to flop as a one-year rental.
Plus, a trade for Peralta wouldn’t require the type of return that other starting pitchers on the trade market such as Joe Ryan and Mackenzie Gore would require.