Marcus Semien is not giving the New York Mets the start they wanted after they acquired him this offseason in the Brandon Nimmo trade. Through 52 games, the 35-year-old is hitting.218 with three home runs and 18 RBIs, numbers that sit well below the standard he built in recent years.
The latest stretch has been even more difficult. In his last three games, Semien has posted a.205/.242/.295 slash line, and his season WAR is down to -0.3. For a player the Mets added while shifting toward run prevention, that kind of offense has left little margin for error.
Semien was never supposed to be a finishing touch. The Mets moved in a different direction this offseason and acquired him as part of a broader reworking of the roster, one that also saw Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, Edwin Díaz and Nimmo leave from the previous core. But the hope was that Semien’s defense, steady all-around game and track record would give the club a dependable two-way piece in the middle of the lineup.
That expectation came from real evidence. Semien is a two-time Gold Glove winner who finished in the top three in the American League MVP race twice in the last five seasons. He also hit 20 or more home runs in four of his last five seasons, a resume that suggested the Mets were getting a player whose floor remained high even as he entered his mid-30s. Instead, his production has trailed off quickly enough to raise questions about how long the club can wait for a turnaround.
The contrast with the player the Mets sent out only sharpens the point. Nimmo has played 49 games for the Texas Rangers and has provided six home runs, 18 RBIs and a.275/.350/.440 slash line, along with 1.9 WAR. Texas has gotten the steadier early return, while New York has seen the player it brought in struggle to produce at either end of the game.
Semien is expected to remain under contract until 2028, and he would not become a free agent until 2029. He is set to earn $26 million annually for the next two seasons, which makes the Mets’ choice more than a short-term lineup call. At 35, he still has time to recover, but the early results have turned a win-now bet into a problem that will keep hanging over the roster if the bat does not come around soon.
