Marcus Semien has changed his representation just before he hits free agency, as the infielder is now a client of The Boras Corporation, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link). Semien joins a prominent list of Scott Boras clients on the open market this winter, including Max Scherzer, Kris Bryant, Nick Castellanos, Carlos Rodon, and another big-name shortstop in Corey Seager.
It remains to be seen if Semien will play shortstop, second base, or perhaps a bit of both following his year as the keystone for the Blue Jays, though needless to say, he’ll have plenty of options available after an outstanding 2021 campaign. Semien hit .265/.334/.538 with 45 home runs over a league-high 724 plate appearances, setting a new MLB single-season record for most home runs hit by a second baseman.
After breaking out with a superstar-level year in 2019, Semien didn’t hit well over the first six weeks of the abbreviated 2020 season, leaving him with only a .223/.305/.374 slash line in 236 PA. That proved detrimental to Semien’s market in his first trip through the free agent market last winter, and he chose to bet on himself by signing a one-year, $18MM deal with Toronto, in order to better position himself for a better long-term contract this offseason.
That strategy ended up working like a charm for Semien, and he has lined himself up for a healthy nine-figure deal this time around. Even in a market loaded with top-tier shortstops, Semien is still projected to land one of the top contracts of any free agent in the 2021-22 class. Semien is entering his age-31 season, but a guarantee of five or perhaps even six years seems feasible, considering how incredibly durable Semien has been throughout his career.
For Toronto fans worried that the agency change will make a return to the Jays less likely, it should be noted that the Blue Jays signed another major Boras client in Hyun Jin Ryu just two years ago. Negotiating with Boras shouldn’t necessarily change the equation too much for the Jays, as the club already knew that re-signing Semien would come with a hefty price tag. Team president Mark Shapiro recently said the Jays had interest in retaining all three of their top free agents (Semien, Robbie Ray, Steven Matz), and some more money is expected to become available in the form of a payroll increase.
Smart move. Probably just made himself some more cash.
@salesman
Just as likely he just made sure he doesn’t sign until spring training
I realize there are numerous agents within the agency but I still wonder how representing multiple players especially two infielders who seem to be in the same market is not a conflict regardless if waivers are executed.
End of the day, the player makes the decisions not the agent so no real conflict of interest.
I have to assume this is frowned upon in the industry… a guy plays his whole career with the same agent and then says F him and goes to boras a week before he hits free agency cause he knows boras makes people more money… seems like a slap in the face to the original agent to me.
more of a punch in the testicles than a slap in the face… had Semien stopped taking his agent’s calls would be a slap in the face… cutting off his livelihood by jumping to another agency is something else
Shows a character flaw with some of these athletes. Loyalty doesn’t mean much these days. Boras is about Boras only. Don’t get it twisted. I think these younger, smarter front office execs are starting to kick his butt in negotiations (certainly in arbitration) so let’s see what happens next….
Semien made 18 something million last year. I’m sure his agent is just fine.
StlSwifty – Switching agents right before a big payday is not that uncommon.
I agree it’s kinda unethical. However when talking about agents, ethics typically isn’t part of conversation.
I agree about conflict of interest. How can one agent try to convince a team that both of his clients would be the best acquisition for the same one position?
And actually, that’s EXACTLY what happened last offseason. Both Semien and Hernandez were represented by Joel Wolfe, and the Red Sox were interested in having one or the other play mostly 2B for them.
So did Wolfe tell the Red Sox that Hernandez was the better choice? Or did he tell them Semien was the better choice, and they ignored his advice?
Iverbure – His former agent, Joel Wolfe, last offseason insisted Semien was worth more than $100M. I don’t think Semien was happy with just $18M after his agent made him believe he’d get 9 figures.
This is Kush…
Maybe the Guardians can sign him to a hometown discount deal. Or a sign and trade Toronto.
Semien is from Bay Area
Yeah. But he loves cleveland.
No one loves Cleveland
Art Modell did………oh wait
The baseball Guardians or the roller derby Guardians
Guardians of the Galaxy. They can ask for Groot in return. They should be able to turn him into bats for the whole season. Think of the savings.
Colonguardians
I knew Bartolo would show up somewhere.
Sign and trades aren’t a thing in the MLB lol
I really doubt Semien switches to an agent with Boras’s reputation just to sign himself to a hometown discount even if he does favor Cleveland.
> Or a sign and trade Toronto.
In MLB, a “sign and trade” before June 15 requires the player’s consent. Semien has no incentive to get involved in something like that.
Quickie funny story on the so called “Guardians”.. Seems the ex-Indians forgot to check out and see if any other “team” located in the city was already using that name…OOPS.. A Cleveland ROLLER DERBY team was already called the Guardians and filed suit this week on them for stealing the name.. How funny can it get??
Story is on Newsmax and believe said Sports Illustrated. i caught it on newsmax yesterday.
I love it.
Ownership (chickens and cowards) deserves all the embarrassment it gets.
Cluck cluck.!
All because the media managed to dredge up some little group that felt offended. Most Native Americans are not offended!
None of my friends are.
Well, some people are always offended, newshounds mostly..
Typically, the most offended people in this country are those of opposite race/ethnicity/preference than the group allegedly being wronged. It’s so they may stay relevant and feel like they’re part of something.
Newsmax isn’t news. Stick with sports illustrated
What’s a sign and trade?
Hahaha money money money. Highest bidder will win his services.
Like, that was probably going to happen even before he hired Boras.
You mean like almost every single free agent that comes available every year? Way to go out on a limb.
Someone trying to get your goat?
Two goats in a row, what are the odds?
Row row row your goat, gently down the stream
Whew, It’s been a long night folks
Tough break for the Jays hoping to resign him.
Tough break for whichever team signs him.
4 years, 70 million is what he should be getting. He will probably get around 6 years, 120 million though. Too old of a player to risk investing over 100 mil into in my personal opinion
While I would agree about the risk part, no way Semien takes any deal $70 mil or lower, unless its a 3 year deal, and even then would still be a huge underpay. Semien has proven he can play at a superstar level over more than just one season, he most definitely deserves $100+ million.
The definition of “Superstar” sure has changed….surely he has had a couple of very nice seasons but “Superstar” because he had 42 homers and 102 RBI’s?
Meh, it just confirms Semien is taking the top offer. He was never going to take some kind of hometown discount anyway.
I don’t see Toronto throwing that much cash at Semien but they did give Springer some serious cash. He’s probably off to a big market team now with Boras as his agent. Hopefully the Blue Jays can find a way to replace his bat.
Blue Jays should have close to zero interest in paying Semien big money. They’ve got a deep lineup already and 2B is an easy “hole” to fill (not to mention they have a fine candidate in whichever of Espinal and Biggio doesn’t play third. And they could pick up a 3B too and choose from either). This is not an issue. They need to spend on pitching.
Jays fans seem to think a Ramirez trade to them for next to nothing is formality so the loss the of the semien bat isn’t to big a deal
I dunno about Ramirez, but there are other 3B out there. Ryan McMahon, who was the best defender at any position in baseball this year (by one metric anyway) should be available. Rox have a couple young 3B they’ll want to play.
Toronto is a big market.
They may be a big market, but he’s worth more as a shortstop than a second baseman. Who pays shortstop prices for a second baseman?
He’s going to play short, there is more money to be had as a shortstop than second baseman.
I think he gets a big payday at either position.
It’s not unreasonable to think the Jays would be willing to sign him as a SS if that was part of his conditions. Maybe even an understanding that SS is his for the next couple of years and an eventual move as he ages. Bichette has said he’s willing to move if they have a chance to get a better SS. They didn’t make that move when Semien was on a one year deal, but with a longer term solution in place, I think they’d do it.
Shortstops get a bigger paycheck. It’s much easier to find a second baseman.
The Mariners do!!
He can step in for Robinson Canó in Seattle.
Shortstop is more difficult position, requires stronger arm and has been attracting greater stronger athletes for past few decades. Second baseman rarely have a strong offensive profile, and if they do have good offense, they usually don’t defend well and almost certainly couldn’t play short if required. This guy is an exception to most players you’ve seen in free agency. He’s versatile, he is a power bat, he’s durable, he inspires his teammates even. He checks more boxes than most any free agent middle infielder you can name.
He is going to be an important setter of the market and what players can see as possible for the future. I bet Boras was going hard after Semien to get him under his wing. Boras makes his career on landing unicorns like this fat deals.
Unlike other big market teams, Toronto seems to spend smart.
Giving Springer CF money for 5 years wasn’t smart.
The Orioles have a good relation with Boros.
Or was that with Borax?
Good relationship with Boras? Boras loves BAL. Chris Davis 7 years/$161M that amounted to -2.8 WAR during the life of the contract? Hope he sent Angelos a postcard from that Tahoe getaway he got with that bonus.
Previously with Wasserrman
He’ll play shortstop.. More Money…
He’ll get the same at 2B as he would at SS.
No he wont. The replacement level is so much different.
A star shortstop makes more than a star second baseman.
Not necessarily in this market. Replacement level isn’t the right metric to look at for a star player. Incremental value over the actual alternative is more important, and there are far more good SSs available on the open market and, overall, there are more good hitting shortstops than second basemen. Simien’s not going to take less just because the team that signs him already has a star shortstop.
There are many more players who can play secondbase than shortstop. Supply and demand.
He more in demand at Shortstop.
We’ll see.
Nats are the one team that loves to work with Boras. Maybe they decide to grab one of the Boras SS to jump start the rebuild.
The “greedy ballplayer/Boras sucks” comments have been pretty mild so far – or maybe I already have those commenters muted.
As an attorney I’d be pretty annoyed that I spent all those years working to put him in this position only to be replaced at the last minute for the big work. It’s pretty obnoxious for him to make this change now and not months ago. That said, he couldn’t have known he would have a career year, and if you don’t care about loyalty it’s probably the right move to make.
This probably means the White Sox are out. Actually they were probably out before this.
Probably but I’d love to see him back with the White Sox.
So Semien’s now swinging for the fences. He batted a mere .265 with an extraordinary 47 HRs—which of those numbers does he duplicate next year at the start of a multi-year contract? I’m betting .265.
So he batted about 20 points higher than league average and had a career-high in homers. Sounds like a pretty good platform year heading into free agency, not that any front offices will pay much attention to batting average. Nor will they expect him to repeat 47 homers.
He literally broke the single season record for homers by a 2B, and you’re nitpicking at .265 BA? I’ll take ANY player with that average and that kind of power. Even half of that power at that average has lots of value.
However, he’s only had a greater than 100 OPS+ twice in his entire career. If history says anything, he’s a league average hitter.
Saying Marcus Semien is a league average hitter is silly.
Hm. League average hitter?
Let’s see…
Taking the good with the bad (so including his dreadful .223, 7, 23 in 2020), here are Semien’s combined numbers over the past 3 seasons:
15.0 bWAR (leads MLB)
14.9 fWAR (leads MLB)
13.6 WARP (leads all position players)
Semien plays every single day, so that “.265” is for the entire position for the season. For example, when Seager was out, Lux filled in and sucked. So that hurt the team and brought down the production for that position.
And btw, batting average is pretty stupid when trying to figure out how good a player is.
Last year I said he will be the best Jays signing. And the Jays grabbing him on a 1 year deal 18 million, little to no risk, is a complete and utter steal. He’s set himself up for a huge pay day, well deserved. If the Jays were smart they would’ve given Semien a multi year deal last year, that’s what I would’ve tried to do. Maybe 15–18 million dollar deal a year over 4-5 years would’ve gotten it done after a down shortened season.
This offseason theirs bigger “names” out there, but Semien has the ability, to outplay each and every one of them. He’s durable, he’s a great leader, clubhouse guy, someone will get a great player with Semien. He’s to me is probably the safest bet this offseason for a team looking to plug and play a guy, and knowing he’ll be out there every single game, contributing to winning. A big contract won’t hinder Semien at all, won’t get to his head, he’s a true pro. Yankees should be all over him imo.. And whoever needs a SS/2B.
@mario
What player with a .223/.305/.374 line would you like to offer that type of contract to this year? I’m sure they will take it. You probably would come up with all sorts of reasons why Story is not worth that, yet he has had a much more consistent career than Semien.
“Better career”. One played his whole entire career other then last year, in Oakland. The other in Colorado. Semien got put into a hitters park for the 1st time and belted how many home runs? 46?-48? Semien is underrated, Story is overrated. That’s the difference between the two. Story is the most likely one who could disappoint out of all the “big name” guys, once he leaves Colorado.
Semien only wanted a one year deal. Not being able to train at the ballpark because of Covid screwed up his routine and he had a bad 2020 season. He wanted to re-establish his value with a one year deal. This was all written about last year.
I see. Didn’t know he was fixed on getting a 1 year deal. Me personally, I didn’t want Springer for the Jays, I was happier for Semien. If he absolutely didn’t want a long term deal, okay, but if the Jays would’ve thrown a bit more money at him? For more years, he may have considered it? Don’t know, I would’ve tried though. Jays did a great job regardless either way.
The comments section on the Semien signing is a gold mine. There’s some all time bad takes in there.
OH REALLY?
So who needs him anyway?
“Crawford, Crawford, he’s our man.
If he can’t do it nobody can!
(from a Mariners fan)
I bet Toronto will be bidding against themselves
The Mets will be in on him, pretty sure unless they sign Baez early.
Good for him. Get every penny he can.
There is no way Semien is signing again with the Jays. They won’t give the term/AAV combination that Boras will demand.
The Jays have huge holes in the starting rotation and in the bullpen. They need to spend their money on pitching. They waited too long to acquire it at the deadline and it cost the team getting into the playoffs.
The Jays still need a ace for the rotation, and no, Ryu and Berrios are not aces. In fact I suspect we will see a dramatic drop off in Ryu in 2022.
Pray for rain.
Manoah with Ryu and Berrios isn’t bad. I kinda hope the Jays can get Matz again, but not QO money.
Is Manoah, Ryu, and Berrios a rotation of championship caliber? It is a good start but it is not championship caliber. Basically they are 2 three’s and a borderline two in the rotation.
Agree Jimmer, Ryu was already starting to fall off. Last two years of the deal may be ugly.
The only team that seemingly doesn’t hate dealing with Boras is the Nationals. So maybe Washington?
I’m thinking he doesn’t get six figures. He’s 31 and while he hit a bunch of HRs, his OBP isn’t star stays. Three years at maybe $23. He’ll be the last infielder signed.
He will be the last signed. However he’s getting nine figures. Heading to an East coast team too. Washington NYY MYM
Come to Seattle and play 2B!
Well, okay, 2B maybe.
Article says Semien’s joining Nick Castellanos on the open market. Has Castellanos already opted out? Or just assuming it’s pretty much certain?
Bora$$ representation is a double edged sword. Many of his clients get paid, but not all and some teams do not wish to deal with him. For Semien though probably a good move.
Except if Boras raises the stakes too high, and waits too long, and plays Semien and Seager off each other and watches Story and Correa come off the board, until there may be only one team left to pay a $75M or above commitment to a middle infielder, Then the other one will have to take a one year bet on himself contract again. My guess is of Semien and Seager, it’ll be Semien.
So this will be how the Angels waste another offseason. Moreno will pretend to be “in” on top tier pitchers with offers he knows they won’t take. He will tell the fans that they obviously wanted to play elsewhere. Then he will sign Semien for too much and too long along with a group of pitchers on one year deals who are hoping to bounce back to what was once a mediocre career.
I hope the Sox kick the tires. Wouldn’t count on him sticking at short though.
This is clearly a move where he will go to the team with the highest bid. Good luck Toronto and keeping all 3. It’s either Siemen and Matz or Ray and Matz.
Boras has always had a great relationship with the Ilitch’s…this feels like a Detroit signing.
Not anymore.
That was Mike Ilitch, the Dad and ex owner.
Boros had Mike’s cell.
Boros went around Dombrowski for a few of those crazy over budget signings
for players Dombrowski did not want to sign like Fielder.
The Tigers signing multiple huge guys who could not run and were marginal on defense
hurt the Tigers that turned them into a “beer league softball team”
and may have cost them at least 1 World Series Championship.
Chris Illitch will not be signing any 200M-300M deals.
The Tigers finally have a fast, great defensive OF that they need
in that huge home ballpark
instead of 5-6 DH types…
Uh oh, said many teams…..
Aw, he only hit .265!
Come on now…..
Booooo!!!!!
He will sign with the Astros for 3/$75
Semien looking to cash in.
yea no difference. only 5-6 teams could afford him anyway. the finance of baseball is a bigger joke then Manfred.
Time to get top dollar. Especially when he didn’t get a massive deal last year.
Bore Ass!
Powernumbers in the walk year but the average looks to be more of a 760 ops from 13-18. Not good defense..
Can’t figure why hahn traded siemen for smadjra anyway.
he’s a gold glove finalist
At 2B. SS metrics are terrible
Well scratch half the teams off the list that had interest in him
And, I betcha that he does not sign until June.
Boros frequently “overplays” his hand, at times to the Client’s detriment.
boras has worked with tigers plenty in years past.
That was with Mike Illitch who passed away.
Mr I “overpaid” for past performance of many veteran players
that became an albatross and heavy anchor on the team for years
past their shelf lives.
Tigers have learned their lesson.
His son, Chris Illitch, will not be making those extreme type of deals.
Yankees, Mets,Phillies, Blue Jays, Giants, Cardinals, Mariners etc…
Oh he wants big money this off-season
He’s gonna stay in Toronto. They have the money. If they wouldn’t have started the season in Florida and then Buffalo, they would’ve been in the wild card. The Jays want in.
Playing in Buffalo and Dunedin did nothing to hurt the Blue Jays postseason chances. They had winning records both at home and on the road. If anything the only thing that hurt them was they’re inability to beat the Rays down the stretch (which was a problem for just about everyone)
Dance w/ the Devil & it often doesn’t work out.
When they read “Boras”, a bunch of teams lost interest.
12 Years 300 Mil
Whichever team signs him for Borass dollars as a SS is going to get a 2B who won’t ever be as good as this past season (‘21). They’re going to get 2B-Oakland-level Semien at best, then a decline from there, imho.
Pleeeeeeeeeaaase NO, Cashman.
Don’t think he’s Plan A anyway for the Yankees and Cashman.
Now, he’ll either sign a 5 year 125 million deal before December or he’ll sign a 1 year 25 million deal sometime during Spring Training. Most likely the latter because he’ll hold out for the big contract and everyone else will sign leaving him with few options
Hopefully this will price himself out of the Angels. We need pitchers
Well Jays will be in the market for a new 2nd basemen. With Boras as his agent Semien won’t be back with the Jays which is sad. Boras over the years has bad-mouthed the Jays for not bidding or signing his clients. Jays for their part just figure they don’t need the aggrevation and they have several players that they can slot in a 2nd.