Durability, Leadership, and Quiet Fire: Semien’s Introduction to Queens

The Mets’ newest second baseman, former Rangers star, Gold Glover, father of five, and now owner of the Most Spoken Words in a Zoom Call Since 2020, Marcus Semien met the New York media today for the first time.

And if first impressions matter… well, Mets fans, start stretching now because this guy plays like he expects you to run out every grounder too.

From the jump, Semien was vintage Semien: direct, thoughtful, polished, and sneakily funny in that “I’m a dad of five and running on fumes” way. He opened with gratitude, “I just want to first start out by saying thank you to the Mets organization for welcoming me into their family,” and then spent the next 30 minutes revealing exactly why David Stearns referred to him as “a winning player.”

Semien said he first learned of the trade on Friday, which is impressive considering most of us take three days to find out we’ve been tagged in a Facebook photo. “I got a call from my agent… I was training at the time, so I took the call and heard something might be happening between the Mets and the Rangers regarding me,” he said. His agent, who represents both Semien and Brandon Nimmo, “knew what was going on on both sides,” including Nimmo’s no-trade clause, which left Semien’s weekend looking like something between a suspense film and a Zillow search.

When asked about his level of surprise, he brushed it off with veteran pragmatism. “In this business anything can happen,” he said. But Semien made one thing immediately clear: he likes what he’s joining. With the tone of a man who has watched a late-season Mets surge while icing his foot, he admitted, “I sat back and watched the series in September… I like the passion the Mets players were playing with. I like the young pitching staff… and I’ve been imagining myself on that side now.”

It was a theme that kept popping up: Semien can’t wait to play with this roster. He can’t wait to play in New York. And he can’t wait to play in front of fans who treated September baseball like a stress test for pacemakers.

The New York Post's Mike Puma asked him how he defines a “winning player,” and Semien gave the kind of answer coaches laminate. “Go out there every single day and give it your all, sacrifice for the team, put your body on the line… score runs, produce runs, keep the other team from scoring runs, run the bases well, take care of the fundamentals, and do something extra to get a win each night.” Some guys talk about grinding; Semien lists it like it’s the federal tax code.

Leadership came up often, especially from reporters who have seen the Mets clubhouse evolve from the Island of Misfit Toys to a group that’s suddenly… cohesive? Semien described his style as relationship-driven. “You don’t just go out there and play baseball and go home and you don’t talk to anybody,” he said. “You build relationships… spend time off the field together… get to know their families.”

In baseball terms, he’s basically the anti-Kyrie.

When NBC sports Bruce Beck asked what Mets fans should know about him, Semien delivered the full scouting report: “I’m a God-fearing man. I’m a family man. I’m extremely passionate about the game of baseball.” He reminded everyone he’s played the sport for nearly 30 years and added, “I want to play until they tell me to go home.” That alone qualifies him as an unofficial member of the 1986 Mets.

He also addressed his offense, or more accurately, his annoyance with his offense. After a down year, he’s eager to make adjustments with Jeff Albert and Troy Snitker. “I still have a lot to offer… I want to be that MVP-caliber bat in this lineup,” he said. There are no guarantees in baseball, but anyone volunteering the phrase “MVP-caliber bat” in November seems like someone planning to storm out of the dugout with intent.

The New York Daily News' Abby Mastracco asked him about the emotions of being traded for another franchise cornerstone. Semien, who just welcomed his fifth child, acknowledged the logistical chaos but not the professional uncertainty. “I couldn’t be more excited to play in a large market… a fan base that brings the energy every night because that brings the best out of me.”

On defense, Semien lit up like he was discussing a favorite child, possibly the sixth one at this point. “I take a ton of pride in keeping my body healthy, making sure my defense is on point… it’s about how many balls I can go get,” he said. Winning the Gold Glove at 35 meant even more after early-career defensive questions. “It’s been cool,” he added, which is humility code for “I told you so.”

There was also Mets-related destiny buried in his résumé. Asked about New York, he grinned. “When people ask my favorite road city? I say New York.” He added that he loves the culture, the energy, and the history of the Mets. When someone willingly endorses New York road traffic, you sign that person immediately.

Mark Sanchez (the New York Post reporter, not the former Jet) asked about Globe Life Park suppressing offense, and Semien gave a seasoned, no-excuses reply. “I’ll never make a ballpark an excuse… Citi Field, when I’ve played there, I’ve felt good seeing the ball.” Translation: he plans on hitting baseballs into Roosevelt Avenue.

When the topic shifted to replacing Brandon Nimmo, beloved, smiling, sprinting Brandon Nimmo, Semien handled it with respect and self-awareness. He and Nimmo have only met once, during the lockout, but Semien emphasized admiration. “I’ve always respected his game… he’s been a fixture for the Mets for 10 years.” He believes Nimmo will thrive in Texas, especially with his pull-side power in Globe Life. But he continued, “I understand how good of a clubhouse presence Brandon was. I understand, you know, how much of a fan favorite Brandon was. And I feel for the Mets fans when you lose a player who's been such a fixture in that lineup and in the community and has a great personality and such a nice guy, you know, I feel for the fans. For me, you know, I want to get to know the fans, get to know the community, let my game do the talking. And I think I definitely will be a presence in that locker room that guys can lean on. That's always a goal of mine, to be that for my teammates.”

I managed to sneak in the final question of the press conference, a small personal victory since I rarely get the last word in at home, so I figured I’d make it count.

I asked Marcus a two-parter. First, I wanted to know whether, after he got wind of the possible trade on Friday but before everything became official, he started reaching out to anyone, maybe Jacob deGrom or other players who’ve lived the New York baseball life, to get a feel for what he might be stepping into. Then I shifted to something Mets fans take seriously: durability. Marcus has long been known as a guy who posts every day, freak injuries aside. The shortstop he'll be paired with does the same. And if the Mets ultimately resign Pete Alonso, that gives the club an infield where three-quarters of the group practically never misses a game. I asked him whether he’d given any thought to being part of a core like that.

Marcus really lit up at the second half of my question. He said, “Yeah, I’ll answer the second question because it just excites me to play with guys who post every single day.” That wasn’t rehearsed — that was genuine. He went right into how that mentality was shaped in the White Sox organization. “I came up in the minor leagues with the White Sox. My farm director was Buddy Bell. Buddy Bell’s baseball card has a lot of 161s, 162, 160, 159.”

Then he grinned as he talked about how his own career has mirrored that ethos. “As my career has gone on, it looks similar. There are some years where freak things have happened, but I’m proud of that.” He even told a great little story about seeing Bell recently. “I got to talk to Buddy this season at a Rangers event… and we just laughed about it. I told him he really inspired me to continue to play every day because I feel like when I play every day, I get better. Experience is key in this game.”

For Mets fans who love their everyday grinders, it was catnip.

When it came to the trade itself, Marcus explained that things were purposely kept under wraps. “In terms of Friday, how it went with the trade, Scott, my agent, was really adamant about keeping things quiet, so I didn’t talk to many people about it.” Instead, he kept the circle tight. “Of course, I talked to my family, Tara, my wife. I told my kids, just trying to prepare my family for what’s ahead.”

Not until the end of the weekend did he break the cone of silence. “Once we got to Sunday, I called Max Scherzer. He’s a guy who’s played in both places. He’s a World Series champ.” And even that call wasn’t about pitching mechanics or how to navigate the subway. “I just asked him a lot more about family stuff, more than baseball stuff, because I know he has four kids of his own… just bouncing things off of him about how we’re going to do things moving forward.”

Other than that, he said, “I had to keep quiet on it.”

If this first day was any indication, the Mets didn’t just trade for a second baseman; they traded for a standard. Semien talks like someone who understands exactly what Queens expects: toughness, responsibility, and a full tank even when he’s running on fumes. He’s ready to match the city’s intensity, and by the sound of it, he might even raise it. New York wanted someone who posts. They got one who intends to lead.