Marcus

Semien

Semien came through with an RBI single off of Tyler Mahle in the first inning that increased the Mets’ early lead to 2-0. He then clobbered a 407-foot (101.7 mph EV) two-run blast off of Mahle in the fourth that made it 4-0. With the two-hit effort, the 35-year-old infielder is now hitting .214/.303/.357 with one homer, five RBI and zero stolen bases in his first 33 plate appearances.

Semien is hitting .172/.188/.414 in 32 plate appearances. He’s been seeing a lot of time at the top of the Mets’ lineup with Francisco Lindor out and Juan Soto absent, but there’s no reason for him to be up there in the regular season. Maybe the Mets will show their respect by batting him fifth initially, but in truth, he projects to be their eighth- or ninth-best hitter.

Semien’s double was a 104 mph shot to lead off the game. He would later come around to score on a sacrifice fly by Bo Bichette. Semien would then walk in his second at-bat and score on a single by Francisco Alvarez. The 35-year-old is looking to have a bounce-back season in his first year with the Mets, and if he keeps getting on base like this, he has an outside shot at 90 or more runs scored.

It was his first of the spring, a 389-footer off of Astros reliever Bryan King. Semien batted leadoff and added a hard-hit single off Tatusya Imai’s leg. Given his likely presence as a fixture in the Mets lineup and a strong track record, there’s a case to be made that Semien is being underdrafted in mixed leagues as he’s barely coming off the board in the top 20 second basemen.

It’s way too early to draw any firm conclusions, but the social media chatter hasn’t been overly positive as Bichette transitions to the hot corner in his Mets debut. His defense will be picked apart throughout spring training but there are few reservations from an offensive standpoint, which is the primary concern for fantasy managers. New York has already confirmed that he won’t take over at shortstop temporarily while Francisco Lindor recovers from a hamate injury. The other notable developments here are fellow offseason acquisition Marcus Semien in the leadoff spot with Juan Soto heading over to left field. Here is the full lineup: Semien (2B), Soto (LF), Bichette (3B), Tyrone Taylor (CF), Ronny Mauricio (SS), MJ Melendez (RF), Austin Barnes (C), Jose Rojas (1B) and Chris Suero (DH).

The trade was reported last night and is now official. The Mets are sending the Rangers $5 million to cover some of the $101.25 million Nimmo still has on his contract. While Semien’s offensive production has dipped in the last two years, underlying metrics (and a ballpark upgrade) suggest that he could still be a .250 hitter who has 20 home runs, 10-15 steals, and plays well above-average defense at second base. That last part is a key reason that the Mets acquired him, since they have been adamant that improving their team defense is a key focus for them this offseason.

It appears that just the two veterans are involved. Nimmo has full no-trade protection, but sources told The Athletic that he has agreed to waive it. Semien, 35, has three years and $72 million left on his contract, whereas the 32-year-old Nimmo is due $101.25 million over the next five years. Jon Heyman is reporting that the Mets are sending the Rangers $5 million to even up the salaries a bit. It seems like an odd deal for a Mets team with Jeff McNeil at second base and young infield talent ready to challenge him, but Semien remains a solid player and the Mets might be worried about Nimmo’s declining athleticism in left and on-base percentage.

Those two are joined by Steven Kwan in the outfield. Other AL winners include pitcher Max Fried, catcher Dillon Dingler, first baseman Ty France, second baseman Marcus Semien, third baseman Maikel Garcia, shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and utilityman Mauricio Dubón. Semien getting the nod over Andrés Giménez seems like the biggest upset, though Giménez, who won the previous three years, did miss a bunch of time. Dingler over Alejandro Kirk also rates as a modest surprise.

The procedural move frees up a spot on Texas’ 40-man roster for the club to claim righty Dom Hamel off waivers from the Orioles. Semien was shut down for the rest of the regular season earlier this week once the Rangers were officially eliminated from playoff contention. The 35-year-old second baseman suffered a season-ending fractured foot back in late August.

The Rangers aren’t going to rush either of their veteran franchise cornerstones back from significant injuries since they’re five games back of the Astros and Guardians for a Wild Card playoff berth with just a handful of games left in the regular season. Both Seager and Semien should have normal offseasons and be ready for the outset of spring training.