Brandon Nimmo was willing to trade Mets immortality for a shot at the World Series with Rangers

In a trade that became official on Monday, the Mets, Rangers and Brandon Nimmo all made trades.

Nimmo, who possessed a no-trade clause, was willing to trade Mets immortality for what he believes is a real shot at a World Series with a team that wants him and is three seasons removed from hoisting the trophy.

Sure, he said, he liked his chances of winning in Queens, but David Stearns had made it clear to him that Stearns thought the Mets had the best chance at a title if this Nimmo-for-Marcus Semien trade was completed.

If Nimmo were to veto the trade, he would essentially be hurting the Mets’ own title chances.

If he accepted, he would help both sides.

Nimmo had played 1,066 games with the Mets, ranking 11th in franchise history with five seasons remaining on his contract.

His on-base percentage (.364) is sixth-highest among Mets with at least 3,000 plate appearances.

His 135 home runs rank ninth.

So his final favor to a team he did many for was to accept a trade that could boost both teams’ championship hopes while trading away the possibility of his further rise in the Mets record books.

“There’s a good chance that if I stay healthy, if I just keep producing, there’s a chance it could have been me and David Wright. [who] would have been pretty much the only ones who started and ended with the Mets,” Nimmo told reporters via Zoom on Monday. “And I could have had a pretty good shot at having the number in the rafters.

“But that’s not what it all means to me. I’d honestly rather win a World Series.”

In his first public comments since a trade that he said was a “shock,” Nimmo showed the same grace he had become known for and that the Mets will miss.

Stearns called Nimmo on Thursday to inform him of the trading opportunity.

Nimmo discovered that the only thing holding up the procedure was his own consent.

His only request: a little time.

Friday was his daughter Tatum’s first birthday.

The family celebrated during the day and the discussions began on Friday evening.

“I was on the phone pretty much from that night until Sunday afternoon,” said Nimmo, who added that he spoke with Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young for about an hour and a half.

Young told him that after a tough 2025 season, Nimmo would not be embarking on a rebuild, but a “restructuring,” and that he was “extremely sought after.”

Jacob deGrom had “great things to say about the Rangers” and spoke optimistically about their championship hopes.

For his part, Stearns told Nimmo that he was not actively being shopped for, but that interest from the Rangers was strong.

A Met since being drafted in the first round of 2011 out of a Wyoming high school, Nimmo had been a major leaguer in Queens since 2016 and the longest-tenured player in the organization, popular in the clubhouse and with the fan base.

He had literally built his life around helping the team win, as evidenced by his just-completed home in Port St. Lucie.

The Rangers are holding spring training in Arizona.

“[The house] We were supposed to host, and we were supposed to have spring training parties and team meetings,” Nimmo told reporters. “And so we kind of built this life around the fact that we were going to be New York Mets until the end.

“And so there were a lot of logistical things that we had to try to get over those hurdles.”

He heard enough to waive the no-trade clause and turn his life upside down by joining a team that wanted him and wanted to win.

He compared his role to the role Jay Bruce, Curtis Granderson and Wright once held in his life, mentoring what will become a young outfield in Texas.

“Brandon represented our organization with heart, grit and passion,” Steve and Alex Cohen said in a statement. “He embodied everything it meant to be a Met, both on and off the field. We are grateful for everything he gave to our team and our community. We wish Brandon, [wife] Chelsea and Tatum all the best.”

The Rangers host the Mets in September and will not visit Citi Field next year.

There is little doubt about the welcome awaiting Nimmo when he returns.

“There are truly no words to fully express the all-encompassing love and support I always felt from the New York Mets fan base,” Nimmo said. “No matter what the results were, they always appreciated the way I approached the game, the way I pressed and the person I was. And that will never go away.”

“It’s been 14 years of building relationships with the Mets organization. There are fans that I met in 2011 that I still kept in touch with until late last year. It’s something that I will definitely miss. It’s a part of my life and a chapter that is over, and that’s always sad. I will always remember the Mets fans fondly.”