Brandon Nimmo thought he would be a Matt for life before being traded to the Rangers

ARLINGTON, Texas — Brandon Nimmo always thought he could be like David Wright and spend his entire career with the Mets, chasing a World Series title in New York.

That all changed after a phone call from president of baseball operations David Stearns, who told him the 10-year outfielder had reached an agreement to send Gold Glove second baseman Marcus Sieman to the Texas Rangers if the Mets’ longtime player was willing to waive the no-trade clause in his contract, which had five more seasons left.

“Life centered around the fact that we were going to be the New York Mets until the end,” said Nimmo, 32, who just celebrated his daughter’s first birthday and completed a new home in Port St. Lucie, Florida, where the Mets hold spring training, and had planned to host his teammates.

“These are always tough decisions, it wasn’t easy,” Stearns said. “Everyone here thinks highly of Brandon.”

Among those Nimmo spoke about when considering the move was Jacob deGrom, a two-time Cy Young Award winner with the Mets who just finished his third season in Texas as the American League Comeback Player of the Year. Nimmo also spoke at length with Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young, a former major league pitcher who was in spring training with the Mets when Nimmo was a minor leaguer.

“He’s just as competitive, if not more competitive, than me. And so I got the feeling from him and his support staff that this wasn’t a rebuild. This was just a rebuild,” Nimmo said. “Both sides felt that this would be really beneficial to each side, and that both sides would still be in a very good position to come out of this trade, actually in a better position.”

Nimmo is due an annual salary of $20.25 million (C$28.6 million) per season through 2030. He signed a $162 million (C$228.5 million), eight-year contract to stay in New York when he became a free agent for the first time after the 2022 season. The left-handed hitter will receive an additional $1 million (C$1.4 million) assignment bonus from the Mets to waive the no-trade provision. As part of the trade, the Mets will send Texas $5 million (C$7 million) by September 18.

New York drafted Nimmo 13th overall out of high school in the same 2011 rookie draft when Siemian was drafted out of college by the Chicago White Sox in the sixth round. It was a decade after Wright was a first-round pick by the Mets, who retired his No. 5 jersey this summer and inducted him into their Hall of Fame after playing with them from 2004-18.

Siemian has three seasons and $72 million (C$102 million) remaining – $26 million (C$37 million) in salary each of the next two seasons and $20 million (C$28 million) in 2028 – on a $175 million (C$247 million) seven-year contract he signed in December 2021. It also coincided with the 2021 tax-free season. The agency added World Series MVP shortstop Corey Seager to a $325 million (C$458 million) 10-year contract.

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

With the most expensive Opening Day roster in baseball this year, the Mets had a 45-24 record, the best in the majors in mid-June. They then lost 55 of their last 93 games and missed the playoffs.

“I don’t know that it’s necessarily going to change the dynamic of the clubhouse,” Stearns said. “I think it’s a recognition that what we did last year wasn’t good enough. And running the same group back wasn’t the right thing to do.”

Seamen’s trade came after slugging right fielder Adolce Garcia, switch-hitting catcher Jonah Hamm and right-handed reliever Josh Sabers, three other players who also played a key role in the Rangers’ World Series championship, were not offered contracts through 2026 and became free agents.

Nimmo will likely join young standouts Wyatt Langford and Evan Carter in right field in the Rangers’ outfield.

The 35-year-old Seaman will become the Mets’ everyday second baseman after they used several players there last year. Jeff McNeil had the highest start there with a 69. But also played outfield.

Siemian won his second Gold Glove of the season, though he missed the final five and a half weeks after fouling off a pitch to his foot on Aug. 20. It was only the second time in his 13 major league seasons that he has been on the injured list. He hit .230 with 15 homers, 62 RBI and 62 runs scored in 127 games this year. The three-time All-Star has a .253 career batting average in 1,629 games with the White Sox (2013-14), Athletics (2015-20), Toronto (2021) and Texas.

Nimmo has a .364 career on-base percentage in 1,066 career games, and has scored at least 81 runs in each of the past three seasons since hitting a career-best 102 in 2022. This year, he hit .262 — the same as his career average — with a single-season high and 2,925 homers.

“Brandon Nammo is very, very tough at bat. … He’s a very smart, intelligent player, well prepared, knows how to work the bat, work an opposing pitcher and we feel fits the profile of a player that will be a great addition to our lineup,” Young said. “It was a tough decision to move on from Marcus. Obviously we’re giving something away at second base, but we feel like we can bring it back internally or possibly externally if the right opportunity presents itself.”