Reported tension between Rangers All-Star infield duo led to Semien's trade to Queens

Newly surfaced reports indicate tension between Corey Seager and Marcus Semien during the end of their time together in Arlington may have been key the Texas Rangers trading Semien to the New York Mets earlier this offseason.

The scoop came from MLB insider Jon Heyman when speaking on Bleacher Report Live earlier this month. Heyman didn't go into exact detail of what the "tension" was but it wouldn't be surprising if they were true given a handful of incidents last season involving Semien and his attempt to build chemistry with his teammates.

Texas got back 32-year-old outfielder Brandon Nimmo, a 10 year MLB veteran, as the organization attempts to breath new life after missing the playoffs the last two seasons.

If true, it brings a lot of Rangers' past chemistry reports into focus

While on the podcast, Heyman said that trading Semien to Queens was more "conflict" resolution and a "clubhouse thing" than anything else.

While the two never showed any animosity on the field and turned a nifty double-play together, they definitely have different approaches to how the game should be played.

Semien is a workaholic who believes in grinding his way through 162 games, while Seager has a much more laid-back approach. It makes sense that the two might rub each other the wrong way at times, but a World Series championship has a way of covering things like that up, at least until the losing starts.

When push comes to shove, however, Semien never really stood a chance of winning out over a 6 WAR, 35 homer, two-time WS MVP guy like Seager when he can stay on the field.

In fact, according to a Rangers Nation source, it was a barb from Semien about Seager's injury history late in the 2025 season that sealed the deal when he said Seager, “talked a lot for someone who only played around 30 games that year.”

To the Gold Glove second baseman's credit, he tried many times to organize team get-togethers down the stretch in 2025 that were sparsely attended. If those reports were true, it's a shame because Semien is one of the most respected big leaguers and only wants what is best for his team.

Kevin Pillar's comments post-DFA might make more sense now

Pillar, a journeyman outfielder, spent a brief time with the Rangers last year making the team after a scorching hot spring training performance. His regular season was a struggle, hitting .209 and a .465 OPS in 20 games in the first two months of the year.

However, it is what Pillar said after being DFA'd by Texas that fans will always remember him for. Speaking on Foul Territory in June, Pillar said there was a discerning disconnect among the team in the locker room, where players "just kind of did their own thing." Pillar also said that he was surprised that there wasn't the kind of camaraderie and cohesion in the clubhouse, considering what they accomplished in 2023.

Many claimed Pillar was just a disgruntled player who had just been sent packing. Now, it looks a lot more like whistleblowing and could be backed by Heyman's claims.

These struggles could have been a big reason to why the Rangers decided to not renew Bruce Bochy and introduce Skip Schumaker as a way to usher in a new era of Rangers' baseball and hopefully get back to winning.