By MIKE FITZPATRICK
NEW YORK (AP) — A month in the past, Marcus Semien was a father of 4 with three years left on a profitable contract in Texas.
Evidently, there’s been a few large adjustments round the home these days for the previous Oakland A’s star.
Three weeks after he and his spouse, Tarah, welcomed their fifth baby, Semien was traded by the Rangers to the New York Mets on Monday for veteran outfielder Brandon Nimmo.
And identical to that, the Gold Glove second baseman was headed to a brand new metropolis and his fifth main league workforce — first within the Nationwide League.
“It was surprising. Just understanding that, hey, I signed here on a long-term deal four years ago,” Semien mentioned Tuesday by way of Zoom. “But once again, I’m very conscious of what’s going on in the business side of baseball, just kind of paying attention to everything. So in the back of my mind, I knew something could always happen.”
Keen to enhance their protection, the Mets agreed to ship the 32-year-old Nimmo — their longest-tenured participant — and $5 million to Texas for Semien, who at 35 has three seasons and $72 million remaining on the $175 million, seven-year contract he signed with the Rangers in December 2021.
“I want to play until they tell me to go home,” Semien mentioned. “At this point in my career it feels extremely good to have a team that believes in me, sees what I do well, wants to help me.”
Semien mentioned he was coaching final Friday when he acquired a name from agent Scott Boras informing him a deal might be forthcoming. However the sides have been ready to listen to if Nimmo would waive the no-trade provision within the $162 million, eight-year contract he signed with New York after the 2022 season, so Semien was requested to maintain quiet for some time.
“I just asked him a lot more about family stuff more than baseball stuff, because I know he has four kids of his own, and just kind of bounced some things off of him, about how we’re going to do things moving forward,” Semien mentioned.
“In terms of baseball itself, I couldn’t be more excited to play in a large market, play in front of a fan base that brings energy every single night, because that brings the best out of me.”
Semien grew up within the Bay Space and attended Cal, however mentioned New York was his favourite metropolis to play in on the highway.
He was sidelined with a damaged foot when Texas took two of three from the Mets at Citi Subject in September.
“I just sat back and watched and I liked the passion that the Mets players were playing with,” Semien mentioned. “I liked the young pitching staff that they were putting out there and the stuff that those guys had. And I’ve just been thinking about that series and imagining myself on that side now, and it makes me really excited.”
Semien received his second Gold Glove this season regardless of lacking the ultimate 5 1/2 weeks after fouling a pitch off his foot Aug. 20. That was solely the second time he was on the injured listing in 13 large league seasons. He’s performed at the very least 155 video games eight occasions.
“I want to be a player who plays every single day. I want to be a player who runs every single ball out,” he mentioned. “I take a ton of pleasure in preserving my physique wholesome, ensuring my protection is on level.
“I feel like when I play every day, I get better. Experience is key in this game. Playing every day, getting better throughout the year is something that I want to do.”
Semien, a three-time All-Star, has completed third in AL MVP voting 3 times with three completely different groups: the Athletics in 2019, the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021 and Texas in 2023, when he helped the Rangers win their lone World Collection title.
His OPS dipped to .699 in 2024 and .669 this 12 months, however he thinks new Mets hitting coaches Jeff Albert and Troy Snitker might help him regain his stroke on the plate.
“Offensively, I think that I still have a lot to offer,” Semien mentioned. “I’m disappointed in the way that I performed offensively last year.”
He is aware of it is going to be no simple activity moving into the lineup for the favored and revered Nimmo, who compiled a .760 OPS this 12 months and set profession highs with 25 homers and 92 RBIs.
“I understand how good of a clubhouse presence Brandon was. I understand how much of a fan favorite Brandon was, and I feel for the Mets fans when you lose a player who’s been present and who’s been such a fixture in that lineup and in the community and has a great personality and such a nice guy,” Semien mentioned.
“I want to get to know the fans, get to know the community, let my game do the talking. And I think I definitely will be a presence in that locker room that guys can lean on. That’s always a goal of mine. … Hopefully Brandon, the things that he did, hopefully I can fill in and do as well.”
