Marcus Semien is heading into 2026 with a lot to prove – and maybe, just maybe, the pieces are in place for a bounce-back season in his first year with the New York Mets.

Now 35, Semien arrives in Queens after a rough two-year stretch with the Texas Rangers. Despite taking home the American League Gold Glove at second base in 2025, his bat told a different story. He hit just .230 with 15 home runs and 62 RBIs – numbers that looked more like his early days in Oakland than the All-Star caliber production Texas was banking on when they signed him.

That slow fade at the plate ultimately led to a change of scenery. The Rangers, clearly ready to move on, shipped Semien to the Mets in exchange for outfielder Brandon Nimmo. For New York, it’s a calculated gamble – one that could pay off if Semien can rediscover his offensive form.

So, is a turnaround on the table? There’s a blueprint for it. Just look at George Springer.

Springer, also 35 last season, came into 2025 off two down years of his own. Then he flipped the script – slugging over 30 homers for the first time since 2019 and hitting a career-best .309. It was a stunning return to form, and it’s the kind of resurgence Semien and the Mets would love to replicate.

The parallels are there. Both are veteran players with strong track records, both had two subpar seasons leading into their age-35 campaigns, and both possess the kind of baseball IQ that doesn’t just disappear with age.

Semien, for all his struggles at the plate, still showed signs of life in 2025. He remained a disciplined hitter with a good feel for the strike zone, ran the bases well, and demonstrated the kind of opposite-field power that suggests he’s not completely lost at the dish.

But let’s be real – the red flags are hard to ignore. A 2.2 fWAR drop from the previous season is significant, and history isn’t exactly filled with players in their mid-to-late 30s suddenly putting up career-best numbers. Springer’s 2025 was the exception, not the rule.

For Mets fans, the hope is that a change of scenery – and maybe a new voice in the batting cage – can spark something. If Semien uses this trade as a wake-up call, a moment to reset and recalibrate, there’s a path forward. And if the Mets’ hitting coaches can tap into something the Rangers couldn’t, it might be more than just a second wind – it could be a full-on resurgence.

That scenario, of course, would sting for Rangers fans. After watching Semien’s production steadily decline – from .273 with 30 homers in 2023 to .237 in 2024 and then .230 last season – seeing him thrive in a Mets uniform would raise uncomfortable questions in Arlington.

Did the Rangers give up too soon? Did their staff miss something?

And if Semien turns it around under new guidance, what does that say about how the Rangers are developing other hitters like Jake Burger, Josh Jung, or Joc Pederson?

There’s no denying Semien’s resume. He’s been one of the game’s most reliable infielders for the better part of a decade. But 2026 is shaping up to be a defining chapter in his career – not just for what he does on the field, but for what it reveals about the organizations involved.

For now, the Mets are betting on a bounce-back. And if Semien can channel even a fraction of the George Springer revival, it could be one of the most quietly impactful moves of the offseason.