Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns isn’t letting emotion stand between him and his biggest offseason priority .

By trading Brandon Nimmo to the Rangers for second baseman Marcus Semien on Sunday, Stearns parted ways with the Mets’ longest-tenured player, one who was drafted in 2011 and under contract through 2030.

He also took an important step to improve the Mets’ defense, while creating more flexibility to continue shaking up a flawed roster that failed to make the postseason in 2025.

Statistically, Nimmo is a better hitter than Semien. The outfielder is coming off a season in which he swatted a career-best 25 home runs and slashed .262/.324/.436 over a career-high 155 games. Semien, meanwhile, has been in decline over the past two seasons; he posted a .230/.305/

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