Marcus Semien has plenty of experience. With three years remaining on the seven-year contract that he signed with the Rangers ahead of the 2022 season, the 35-year-old is set to begin his fourteenth year in the big
leagues as the Mets’ starting second baseman in 2026.
Born in 1990, Semien was drafted by the White Sox twice, first in the 34th round of the 2008 draft out of high school and again in the 6th round in 2011. Two years later, he got his first major league cup of coffee, and in 2014, he made 255 plate appearances in the big leagues in Chicago. Following that season, Semien was traded alongside Chris Bassitt and a couple of other players in a deal that sent them to the A’s in exchange for Jeff Samardzija and Michael Ynoa.
Having played a mix of second base, third base, and shortstop in his time with the White Sox, Semien became Oakland’s starting shortstop upon his arrival there. And while he didn’t have his first great year at the plate until 2019, he established himself as a major league player over his first four years with the A’s, as he hit .250/.312/.407 with a 97 wRC+ and was worth 8.3 fWAR over that span.
Semien really broke out in 2019, though, as he hit 33 home runs—a new career high at the time—and scored 123 runs with a .285/.369/.522 line and a 138 wRC+. Combined with his work at shortstop, he finished that season with 6.5 fWAR, and he finished third in American League MVP voting.
The shortened 2020 season saw Semien finish with just a 93 wRC+, but it’s always worth remembering that stats from that year are all virtually useless given the brevity of the season. But the timing wasn’t ideal for him as he hit free agency after the conclusion of that season.
The Blue Jays signed Semien to a one-year, $18 million deal for the 2021 season as their second baseman, and it couldn’t have worked out better for both the player and the team. Semien hit 45 home runs for Toronto, scoring 115 runs and driving in 102 as he hit .265/.334/.538 with a 131 wRC+. He again finished third in American League MVP voting, made his first All-Star Game, and he won both the Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards at second base.
That set Semien up for a much better run at free agency following the season, and the Rangers signed him to a seven-year, $175 million deal on December 1, 2021. In the four seasons he spent in Texas before getting traded to the Mets yesterday, Semien hit 26, 29, 23, and 15 home runs, respectively, and has had just one great season at the plate: the 2023 campaign that saw him finish with a 128 wRC+. That season saw him finish third in AL MVP voting for the third time in his career, make his second All-Star team, and win his second Silver Slugger.
Semien made the All-Star team again in 2024, and despite missing a chunk of the 2025 season, he took home his second Gold Glove this year for his work at second base. His defensive prowess is largely responsible for the 2.1 fWAR that he had this year despite the fact that his 89 wRC+ was the worst single-season mark of his career. And his glove certainly contributed to the 15.1 fWAR that he accumulated over the course of his first three years with the Rangers.
Entering his age-35 season, Semien figures to be the Mets’ everyday second baseman. That presumably takes Jeff McNeil and Jett Williams out of the equation for any significant playing time at the position, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see McNeil traded soon. As for Semien himself, his glove remains elite, and despite the fact that he’s in his mid-30s, it’s too soon to say that his bat is totally toast. Even a return to league-average-ish form would complement his glove just fine and make him a valuable player for the Mets, but if he were to struggle at the plate the way he did this year or decline further, the remainder of his contract wouldn’t look very good.
