Mariners’ Options for Kyle Seager in 2022 Offseason

At the conclusion of this season, the Seattle Mariners will be faced with a difficult decision regarding their perennial third-baseman: do they pick up Kyle Seager‘s $15 million option, decline the option and attempt to sign him to a new deal, or decline the option and explore the free-agent market?

Kyle Seager’s fWAR this season is 2.4; does that merit his current salary?

For those unfamiliar with fWAR, it stands for the Wins Above Replacement for a player as calculated by FanGraphs (f). Essentially, the higher a player’s WAR is, the harder it is for a team to replace him with another player. With an fWAR of 2.4, Seager currently ranks 64th among all major league position players and 10th among all third-basemen.

Taking a look at the current salaries among third-basemen in the MLB, Seager’s $18.5 million salary this season is tied for 6th with two other players (the Cardinals’ Matt Carpenter and the Giants’ Evan Longoria). Considering Carpenter has been one of the worst players in baseball this year, and Longoria has barely been able to stay afloat due to injury, Seager’s performance as the 10th best third-baseman in baseball makes his current salary appear reasonable, at minimum.

With Kyle Seager performing at a level consistent with his current salary, let’s take a look at each of those three options that Seattle could pursue with him this offseason:

The cap hit for Kyle Seager wouldn’t be a problem for the Mariners next year.

With plenty of luxury tax space available for next season (the luxury tax threshold is $210 million, and the Mariners are only spending $81.7 million on team payroll this season), money shouldn’t be an issue for the Mariners. So, at first glance, it seems obvious – if Seager is worth his $18.5 million salary this year, then he’ll easily be worth $15 million next season.

There aren’t a lot of salaries that are going to be on the books for the Mariners going forward, so that part of it won’t be an issue. Especially when you pair it with the clubhouse value that he brings to the team.

Seager is clearly in a stage in his career where he is able to significantly contribute, as he’s bashed 29 home runs this year (tied for the major league lead among third-basemen) and is third among all major league third-basemen with 82 RBIs. His .217 batting average obviously isn’t great, but the home runs and RBIs balance out his value enough to earn him a solid fWAR.

Without another third-baseman rapidly climbing up the ranks in the Mariners’ system, Seager would be valued by the team next year. However, is picking up the one-year option the best step for the club to take with Seager next year?

If the Mariners are interested in moving on from Seager after this season, it’s almost certain they will be active in free agency to attempt to find a replacement for his production.

Although there aren’t many third-basemen hitting the market this offseason, there are several infielders the Mariners may want to keep tabs on. With Abraham Toro‘s history as a third-baseman in Houston, Seattle has some nice flexibility when considering their strategy this offseason, as the athletic Toro could easily switch from second base to third base, or potentially the outfield, to open up a spot for a marquee free agent.

There are several free-agent infielders to keep an eye on this offseason, but here are a few names that could be of key interest to the Mariners:

Javier Baez – SS/2B, New York Mets, (.241, 24 HR, 69 RBI)

Kris Bryant – 3B/OF, San Francisco Giants (.268, 22 HR, 61 RBI)

Corey Seager – SS, Los Angeles Dodgers (.277, 6 HR, 31 RBI) *missed time due to injury

Marcus Semien – 2B, Toronto Blue Jays (.268, 30 HR, 73 RBI)

Out of any of these stars, I would implore the Mariners to seriously consider making a push towards signing Corey Seager. Corey, Kyle’s younger brother, checks all of the boxes the Mariners would be looking for in a free agent addition: a left-handed bat capable of hitting for contact and power at the top or middle of the lineup, excellent defensive play, postseason experience (including a World Series MVP), and the ability to contribute in the short and long-term.

With shortstop Trea Turner headed to Los Angeles at the trade deadline this year and under team control for one more season, the Dodgers may be willing to let Corey Seager test the waters of free agency this winter. If the Mariners pounce on the opportunity, they may have their answer for a long-term left-handed bat to balance out the likes of right-handed studs Ty France, Kyle Lewis, Julio Rodriguez, and Noelvi Marte.

Potential motives for Seager to come to Seattle? He would be given the reigns at second base (potentially lengthening his career longevity), would achieve immediate superstardom as the obvious best (and highest paid) player on the Mariners, and, if all goes to plan, could convince his power-hitting older brother to stick around for another few years.

So, there have you it – my hope this offseason is for Seattle to bring in a bona fide star in Corey Seager and transition him to second base, sign back Kyle Seager on a two-year deal and let him continue holding down the hot corner, and move young stud, Abraham Toro, out to left field/into a utility role, where his speed, athleticism, and strong arm may serve him best.