Brandon Nimmo's no-trade clause waiver could signal unexpected 2026 plans for Rangers

No one expected the Texas Rangers to trade second baseman Marcus Semien to the New York Mets for Brandon Nimmo. In fact, even Nimmo was shocked when Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns asked him if he'd be willing to waive his no-trade clause, per MLB.com's Kennedi Landry.

Even though Nimmo had planned to stick with the Mets, the organization he had been with since it selected him in the first round of the 2011 MLB Draft, he decided to waive his no-trade clause to join the Rangers, who missed the postseason the past two years after winning the World Series in 2023.

"I needed to know that the Rangers were committed to trying to win a World Series," said Nimmo. "That this wasn't a rebuild that I was coming into. That this was somewhere that I was extremely wanted and was somewhere that I felt like we would be competing for World Series titles, year in and year out. [Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young] made that abundantly clear.”

Brandon Nimmo's decision to waive no-trade clause could be sign of good things to come for Rangers

The Mets ended the 2025 campaign similarly to the Rangers, just barely trailing the third Wild Card spot. The Mets have Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto and plenty of young talent. They have also shown they are not afraid to spend big in free agency, while the Rangers are committed to lowering payroll for now. Yet, Nimmo chose to join the Rangers rather than stick with the Mets.

Nimmo's decision to join the Rangers suggests Texas may be headed back to the playoffs next year. He only wants to play for a contender at this point in his career, and he believes the Rangers have what it takes to win another World Series. According to Landry, Nimmo reached out to Rangers starting pitcher and former Met Jacob deGrom to ensure that Texas has what it takes to get back to the Fall Classic, and the legendary pitcher backed up Young's claim that the team isn't in a rebuild phase.

The Rangers have great starting pitching and defense. Offense was their biggest weakness last year, and now Nimmo is here to improve that. The team's dedication to fixing their biggest issue despite payroll restrictions should give Rangers fans reason to be optimistic about next season.