Mets Trade Brandon Nimmo to Rangers for Marcus Semien
Arguably the biggest trade so far has been the Nimmo-Semien trade, involving two heavy contracts that put a burden on both teams. The beloved veteran Brandon Nimmo will leave Mets fans and head to Arlington, Texas, along with a bonus 5 million to match the salaries.
For the Rangers, Semien still has 3 years, 72 million left on a contract that will take him through 35 to 37 years old. Semien posted a .230 batting average and 15 home runs in an injury-shortened season. For the Mets, they receive a Gold-Glover who fills in their hole in the infield. The Mets get defensive stability and a solid infielder in this trade. While Semien’s offensive numbers could be in a decline, making his contract a burden to most teams, the Mets owner Steve Cohen does not show much concern for player salaries.
Although the Rangers will be receiving a contract of 5 years and over 100 million, they believe that Nimmo will be a better fit for the team moving forward. Nimmo’s contract is also lower annually at around 19 million per year. Despite having the reputation as injury-prone, Nimmo has overcome these claims in past seasons, appearing in over 150 games for his fourth consecutive season.
Mets: B-
Rangers: B+
Astros Send Multi-time Gold Glover to Braves for Nick Allen
The Houston Astros traded Mauricio Dubon, the Gold Glover for the utility position in 2023 and this past season (2025) to the Braves for Nick Allen. Similar to Dubon, Allen was named a nominee for the Gold Glove award at shortstop in the National League, but came short to Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn.
For the Braves, they get one of the best utility players in the league in Mauricio Dubon, who has exceptional defensive abilities at first, second, and third base, shortstop, and even the outfield. To put his defensive ability into perspective, despite only making 104 starts on defense in 2025, Dubon tied for MLB’s 6th highest fielding run value (+17).
For the Astros, they trade the former Astros champion in 2022 due to salary concerns. The 31 year old made 5 million this past season and will enter his last year of arbitration next season. They acquire Allen, who is also talented on defense but is only entering his first year of arbitration. However, his offensive game raises concerns, as he only posted a .535 OPS offensive season. He is also only capable of filling the infield position that already has players such as Jeremy Pena and former Platinum Glover Carlos Correa.
Astros: C+
Braves: B+
Orioles Trade Starting Pitcher Grayson Rodriguez for Angels Silver Slugger Taylor Ward
Although many suspected that the Orioles may be in the hunt for starting and relief pitchers this offseason, the Orioles started their offseason with a shocking approach. The O’s acquired outfielder Taylor Ward from the Angels in a 1-for-1 trade that sent right-hander Grayson Rodriguez to Los Angeles. The move shocked many because Rodriguez was a top prospect who has had promising performances when he was healthy.
Rodriguez, 26 years old, was a 2018 first-round draft pick who has struggled to stay healthy. However, when healthy, missing parts of 2024 and 2025. However, when healthy, he is one of the best pitchers under the age of 26, with other starters such as Paul Skenes, Garrett Crochet, and Hunter Greene.
On the other side of the trade, the Angels will send Taylor Ward to the Orioles. Ward will be entering his last arbitration season and could be entering free agency after 2026. He is coming off a season in which he set career bests in doubles (31), home runs (36) and RBIs (103) while hitting .228 with a .792 OPS over a career-high 157 games.
Angels: A-
Orioles: B
The League Leader 
Leave a comment