Marcus Semien expects Mets fans to 'bring out the best' in him

It was amiable and good natured, but make no mistake - Marcus Semien was fully prepared for battle Tuesday afternoon.

His trade to the Mets for Brandon Nimmo had only been official for two days, but the second baseman, speaking at an introductory Zoom news conference with reporters, hit all the right notes in a polished, practiced way.

He knew what was coming and he knew how to deal with it.

Can he handle New York? Well, actually, he said, it was his favorite road city.

“I couldn’t be more excited to play in a large market, play in front of a fanbase that brings the energy every single night because that brings out the best in me,” he said. “It’s definitely a place I really enjoy being and now I get to do what I love in that city in front of fans that love the game.”

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns brought him in for his defense, which earned him a Gold Glove last season, but what about his hitting – a tool that’s waned in the past two years?

“I’m disappointed in the way that I performed offensively last year,” Semien said. “I had a good start in 2024 and I think just having conversations with [director of hitting] Jeff Albert and I’m looking forward to talking to [hitting coach] Troy Snitker about what I need to do to be that MVP-caliber bat in this lineup.”

Of his age (35), he said that he works hard to maintain his body and believes it will hold up. In the clubhouse, he said he prefers to lead by example, but also enjoys fostering team-bonding activities. Of his larger-than-life teammates, he added that he couldn’t wait to play with future Hall of Famers, specifying Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto.

Like a trained dancer auditioning for the big stage, he knew the turns and executed them flawlessly, and that’s good news when you’re trying to assess whether a player can succeed in New York.

But while Semien is undoubtedly an elite second baseman, there's no sugarcoating the fact that he’s in for an uphill battle, and not one of his own making.

There is, first, the shadow cast by Nimmo, who departed as a beloved, homegrown fan favorite, and a vocal team leader. There is, too, the fragile clubhouse ecosystem that currently defines the New York Mets. Because if you think about it, Semien is walking into kind of a mess.

Here was a team that reached the pinnacle of “good vibes culture” during its magical 2024 run, and thus very keenly felt its absence in the nightmare year that ensued. Early, there were questions on how Soto would fit in, and though those proved to be overblown, there’s no doubt that there’s a lot of pressure that comes with being the $765 million man.

In fact, the entire club was under intense, unrelenting scrutiny. Whereas 2024 was all about playing with house money, 2025 saw them deeply in the red. After all, how could one of the most expensive teams in baseball fail so spectacularly?

And then there’s everything else Semien will have to look out for.

With 13 years of major-league experience, he’s a leader, but with Nimmo’s departure, this is very clearly Lindor’s clubhouse. There’s no telling what’s going to happen with Pete Alonso or Edwin Diaz. Save for manager Carlos Mendoza, it’s nearly an all new coaching staff. Stearns has committed playing time to his younger players, meaning that there will continue to be a learning curve. They currently have no bullpen of substance, a piecemeal rotation, a huge hole in the outfield, and no one to play first base (and no, we’re not counting the possibility of a Mark Vientos-Jeff McNeil platoon).

Then there are Semien’s own struggles. A career .253 hitter, he had one of the worst offensive seasons of his career last year, slashing .230/.305/.364 with 15 homers and 62 RBIs. And while defense is important, it can often go underappreciated, and Mets fans aren’t necessarily known for their patience when it comes to newcomers who struggle at the plate.

It's a lot for anyone to handle, but for at least one afternoon, Semien did seem up to the task. His answers were nuanced and thoughtful, showcasing a player who intends to be proactive in this new chapter. To wit, he’d already asked Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer about playing in both Texas and New York.

Stearns likes to say that you can’t really predict chemistry, and though he’s right, there are elements that tend to work well together. By blowing up part of this team - particularly if he lets Alonso walk - he's knowingly taking a huge gamble on whether this group can coalesce into a winner.

These are not timid swings, either. Trading Nimmo could work, but it’s also high profile enough to be a massive disaster if the move goes awry. And that, too, is one more ounce of pressure on a player the Mets are hoping can handle it.

In a way, it makes sense. Last season proved that you can't force vibes or chemistry or anything else like that. And it also proved that you can't live in the past. The good news is that, in 2026, the last thing the Mets want is a rerun.

By Laura Albanese

laura.albanese@newsday.com@AlbaneseLaura

Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.