The Mets acquired Marcus Semien because his megadeal expires two years sooner than Brandon Nimmo’s; because their defense was poor last season, and adding a Gold Glove second baseman while subtracting a left fielder with declining speed should help; because it frees up an outfield spot for next season and beyond within an organization that has the means to buy an expensive left fielder or the capacity to turn to an interesting prospect in the farm system; because last season’s clubhouse mix did not produce results.
There are more reasons — we tried to cobble them together here — why the Mets gave up a beloved leader in exchange for a 35-year-old whose bottom-line stats have not just regressed but fallen off a cliff.
Here is one more: What if Semien can hit?
As recently as 2023, he could. In that World Series championship season with Texas, Semien led the American League in hits (185) and runs (122) while slashing .276/.348/.478. He clubbed 29 home runs, drove in 100 runs and did just about everything well while finishing third in MVP voting for a third time.