Rangers exec reveals behind the scenes of trading Marcus Semien to Mets for Brandon Nimmo

Rangers Senior Advisor Dayton Moore believes a team must willingly disadvantage itself for transparent negotiations. He claims that honesty, empathy and mutual understanding facilitated the Marcus Semien-Brandon Nimmo trade.

Dayton Moore has been with the Rangers since November 2022. Before that, Moore was the Kansas City Royals' General Manager from June 2006 to September 2021. He also served as the Royals' President of Baseball Operations from September 2021 to September 2022.

Moore shared the behind-the-scenes of the Semien-Nimmo trade on Saturday's episode of the "Baseball isn't Boring" podcast.

"You want to figure out what the other team needs," Moore said (Timestamp: 23:17). "It's okay to disadvantage yourself for the good of another team or somebody else, okay? Focus on what you're getting, not what you're giving up, right?” “And I think you've got to think for the other team."

"I got a chance to see the Mets a lot last year," he added "I think Marcus Semien's a great fit for what they need based on where they are. That's obviously up for them to decide, the Mets to find and David Stearns to figure out. I mean, he's a terrific baseball mind and he knows what this team needs."

The Rangers traded Semien to the Mets for Nimmo on Nov. 24. The trade came out of nowhere, as fans and analysts thought of Nimmo as a lifelong Met and clubhouse leader. However, reports have emerged that the Mets wanted Semien for clubhouse leadership.

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Rangers exec shares his modus operandi

In the same conversation with Rob Bradford on "Baseball isn't Boring," Dayton Moore said that he won't judge the front office executives of other teams. Moore also shared how he facilitated the contract extensions of two star players during his Royals stint.

"When we signed Alex Gordon to the two long-term contracts and Salvador Perez to three long-term contracts, I opened up the books for them, told them what our payroll was and what everybody was expected to make in arbitration, and this is what I was dealing with," Moore said (Timestamp: 24:23).

"And if you were the general manager, what would you pay yourself? And let's get a deal done," he added.

Alex Gordon retired from baseball in 2020 after 14 seasons with the Royals. Gordon was a three-time All-Star and an eight-time Gold Glove Award winner. In 2024, the Royals selected him as the 31st member of their Hall of Fame.

Meanwhile, Salvador Perez is the current captain of the Royals. Perez has been with the team since his debut in 2011. He is a nine-time All-Star and has won five Silver Slugger and Gold Glove Awards each.