Kyle Seager, Seattle Mariners. (Photo by Dinur, via Flickr)
It’s a new year. Baseball organizations like the Seattle Mariners are preparing for another season. Players are wrapping up their vacations or downtime and getting back to the gym, batting cages, or mounds. The point is everyone is working; now, there is no time to slack off.
The Mariners come into 2021 as a team on the rise. Last year many predicted Seattle to be at the bottom of the American League standings. They were in a rebuild and lacked proven MLB veterans. Even so, the Emerald City’s team was in the hunt for a postseason spot until the final week of the season.
Now that they’ve started to turn the corner, more moves are necessary. We can’t have an article about the M’s future roster plans without a Jerry DiPoto trade. The Seattle Mariners General Manager likes to trade more than a fantasy team manager.
Among his trade priorities should be moving on from long-time M’s third baseman, Kyle Seager. It won’t be easy, but some teams make sense as destinations.
If it seems like Pacific Northwest Sports is pushing a Seager trade, it’s true. Many of our writers believe the 34-year-old’s best value to the team is what they can get for him in return.
BAM! Kyle Seager gets dealt right out of the gate while the Baby New Year cuts his first tooth. Before sending arguably the fourth-best position player in team history packing, it worth noting that he comes with some heavy financial strings attached.
Seager’s contract pays $18.5M for the 2021 season. There is a $15M team option for 2022. If he gets traded, the $15M becomes a player option.
I’ll provide six teams that could use a 3B/hitter like Kyle Seager.
This may be the least likely one but hear me out. New York’s pitching hasn’t been their issue in the postseason. It’s been the offense. Adding Seager gives them another bat. They already have Giancarlo Stanton at the DH and can use Gary Sanchez, Brett Gardner, Clint Frazier, Aaron Hicks, or Aaron Judge. But they are all injury risks.
Meanwhile, starting third baseman Gio Urshela will miss the opening three months of the season after elbow surgery. Additionally, the Bronx Bombers’ other third baseman Miguel Andujar, struggled in 2020 as he recovered from Tommy John surgery.
I’m not sure who would be included in the deal, but the Yankees can definitely take on Seager’s full salary. Additionally, they have some upper mid-level prospects. That in and of itself would be a big win for the M’s.
Another frequent Seattle Mariners trade partner is Tampa Bay. This offseason, the reigning AL Champs let go of some highly valuable pieces that helped them win the AL East. While the Rays won’t be able to accommodate Seager’s full contract, the teams can work out an agreement on the financial terms.
The return can vary, but some of the players Seattle should try to acquire include Vidal Brujan (2B/SS), Xavier Edwards (2B/SS), and maybe Brent Honeywell (SP). Brujan and Edwards will find it hard to get playing time with Willy Adames and Brandon Lowe starting at both those spots.
The young infielders are also behind Tampa’s top prospect Wander Franco at SS. All this makes Edwards and Brujan a little more expendable, depending on how much of Seager’s contract the M’s eat.
Hotlanta is loaded with young talent. Adding Seager to their team helps the Braves offensively, defensively and adds another veteran voice in the locker room. Also, their farm system is loaded with young pitchers. A team could never have enough or too much pitching. Depending on the amount of money the Mariners would kick in will be the biggest factor in determining the return.
I wrote about Seager to the Cubs deal at the August trade deadline. I was obviously wrong about it happening then, but I still think it could happen. With some tweaking of the pieces included, the deal can work for both sides. Plus, if the Seattle Mariners make a shrewd free agent move or two, it could work out very well for them.
The Reds are included here because they, too, may be targeting a rebuild. It’s possible Cincy needs to shed some payroll after the financial losses the league took. They’ve let it be known in their trade talks that both Sonny Gray and Luis Castillo are available.
Again, without getting an idea of their plans, it’s difficult to know Cincinnati’s future. Thus making it challenging as to who is and isn’t available. In this scenario, Seattle can absorb more payroll than they send out and get some quality arms in the process.
This is the feel-good scenario of a Seager brothers reunion. I don’t see it happening because not everyone gets a happy ending. But should it happen, the Dodgers still have a really good farm system and some good MLB pieces. A few of L.A’s prospects that work as a return are Josiah Gray and Keibert Ruiz. As for big leaguers, Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May, or David Price.
I don’t think Seager for any of the prospects straight up would happen. Even though they haven’t resigned Justin Turner, there are other internal options for them. What could happen is a bit of a big-money contract swap. Dodgers get Seager’s full contract plus some of Price’s. The M’s get Price and a prospect that is still years away, say Michael Busch.
The Dodgers have the money to absorb the finances to make this happy ending story come true.
In the end, if the M’s can obtain a return of either some good middle relievers or a couple of mid-level prospects, or even one high rated prospect, for Kyle Seager, I would consider the trade to be a success and worth doing. It’s sad to say, but Seager won’t be here when the Seattle Mariners bring a World Series trophy home in 2022.