Since it seems unlikely that the Mariners will exercise their $15MM club option on Kyle Seager for the 2022 season, the third baseman could very well be entering his 11th and final season in a Seattle uniform. Seager told Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times that he is focused on baseball rather than any contractual possibilities, but did say that if he does leave the M’s, he wants to go out with only positive feelings between himself and the organization. This wasn’t exactly helped by the recent description of Seager as “overpaid” by former Mariners president/CEO Kevin Mather, and while Seager disagreed with the label, he seemed to shrug off the criticism. “You certainly don’t love hearing comments about you like that….but that stuff is out of my control. And if I got frustrated every time someone complained about me, I’d be having a tough go of it,” Seager said.
Beyond just leaving on a high note off the field, Seager naturally would also love some more success on the field — the M’s have enjoyed just three winning seasons in Seager’s decade with the team, and haven’t reached the postseason. The rebuilding Mariners may not be quite ready to contend just yet, and Seager is something of a difficult trade candidate since his 2022 club option vests into a guarantee if he is dealt. (Plus, Seager will gain full no-trade rights roughly three months into the 2021 season, as he is on pace to achieve 10-and-5 status.) The third baseman said that he hasn’t spoken with GM Jerry Dipoto about trade possibilities or the club option, but Seager figures that without the vesting clause, he would have been moved a long time ago as part of Seattle’s roster overhaul.
More from around the AL West…
- Alex Bregman has been nursing a balky lefty hamstring in camp, and the Astros star tells MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart and other reporters that the injury first occurred in early January. After being careful throughout the offseason and during Spring Training, Bregman felt his hamstring was around 90 percent healed and he is planning to soon get some games under his belt in preparation for Opening Day. Bregman also noted that he has been “trying to clean up running form…whether it’s posture or working on my hips and stuff like that” to avoid more hamstring injuries in the future, as he missed over two weeks last season due to a right hamstring strain.
- Athletics infielder Jed Lowrie could play in his first game of the spring by Tuesday, if the veteran gets through base-running activities today without any setbacks. Oakland manager Bob Melvin told the San Francisco Chronicle’s Matt Kawahara and other reporters that today’s drill is “kind of the last hurdle for” Lowrie in being cleared for action. Lowrie underwent knee surgery in October, as he looks to finally escape the knee problems that plagued him in 2019 and 2020 as a member of the Mets. After appearing in only nine games in 2019, Lowrie didn’t play at all last season.
- In another Athletics health update, Sean Murphy has been catching bullpens and will hit soft toss on Sunday, according to Melvin. Murphy is recovering from a collapsed lung and a subsequent surgery in the offseason, and while it isn’t yet known when he might appear in a Spring Training game, Melvin said the catcher is “moving along nicely.”
The Murphy story is crazy and scary. Dude randomly wakes up with a collapsed lung
Is it possible there is more to the Murphy story than we are hearing?
Spontaneous collapsed lungs aren’t super uncommon when it comes to collapsed lungs.
One more reason not to sleep in supine position.
Baloney….
I’ve actually known 2 guys who have woken up with collapsed lungs and both said that it’s oddly common for taller lankier guys. One of them even had his lung collapse twice in 2 months
man, thats some kind of luck there
Doesn’t make me feel great as a tall, lanky guy.
Happened to my friend’s 16-year-old son who had been experiencing a growth spurt. Fortunately he’s fine, but it was scary and real.
I had both my lungs collapse so I got tall and fat. No more collapsed lungs but I am still fat. I should have become a vampire instead. Zombie would be the popular pick right now but the smell of rotting flesh didn’t appeal to me.
A’s seem to be cursed by weird injuries. Rich Harden injured himself reaching for his alarm clock in Spring 2004.
Glenallen Hill’s spider-fueled glass table incident
Honest question, but do you think Corey and Kyle team up somewhere next winter? If so where?
The Dodgers would be dumb to let Corey walk next year and I don’t see them adding Kyle
Helps to read, I asked if they decided to team up which team would they do so for. This is taking dodgers out of the equation in this scenario
Yanks? They have endless money and even Kyle would crack 30 bombs to that little league porch in right.
I can’t see them ending up with the same team. A team that signs Corey will be a team that is going for it. Not so for Kyle.
Another similarly important hypothetical question…would you eat the Moon IF it were made of cheese?
What type of cheese are we talking? If we re talking about multiple cheeses and all are good, then yea I would give it a try.
Here’s some A.L West news: Folty got his first ST start today, and he averaged out in the mid-90’s.
Don’t count on it lasting very long. Either his arm or his brain will give out pretty quick.
I have tremendous respect for Kyle Seager and the way he handled that interview especially his response to Mathers’ ramblings. I have no idea how anyone would think he’s overpaid based on performance and the leadership he brings to the clubhouse.
Seager is a solid MLB veteran and a class act of a person. He would be welcomed in any MLB clubhouse. Clearly, Mathers proved that he was, in fact, the person who was overpaid.
For accuracy’s sake wasn’t the quote “probably overpaid”?
Mather must have gotten loaded at the Rotary Club bar before giving that speech. What a costly decision; he threw his career away by doing so.
It was a zoom call- he appeared to be in his office.
He is absolutely worth $15 million a year… if you project out last year’s numbers to a full 162 games, he hits 24 homers and knocks in 108 runs. Top that with .975 fielding, and any team would take that
I’d love to make so much money where someone thought I was overpaid, It sure beats being underpaid.
Your boss called he said you were overpaid.
Feel better now?
Exactly, Kyle Seager is worth more than his salary. Mather wanted to go cheap.
why would anyone want a NTC when they can just have the increasing option price for being dealt? the later is arguably more effective.
Kyle Seager is still a pretty consistent hitter. He never really deviates too far from his career .256/.326/.443 line, 112 wRC+. Aside from 2018, he’s been a good hitter. But his defense is getting a little spotty. Last year, he was a below average defender, a good defender in 2019 and average in 2018. Maybe it was just from the small sample size in 2020, but he can still field the position nonetheless. I could see him getting 2 years+option year and having an AAV around $10-$15 million.
Kyle Seager has NEVER been a below-average defensive 3rd baseman. I don’t care what metric you’re looking at.
Wasn’t it 2018 he was injured in ST? He never got on track at the plate. He wasn’t his best in the field but still an above avg fielder.
The D metrics are still not that good. I prefer the eye test and my eye says he is good and will be sad to see him go. Wish he could play his whole career here but that it’s getting harder to do. Will be rooting for him to have a great year.
Seager’s expected weighted on-base average on contact (XWOBACON) is insane!
But Seager, you are overpaid. Nothing wrong. Just what is.