Mariners fans get a green light to root for Rangers trading their best player

If there’s one thing a Seattle Mariners fan wouldn’t hesitate to admit, it’s this: seeing Corey Seager shipped anywhere outside the AL West would sound like pure music.

According to ESPN, the Texas Rangers are in “listening mode” on their star shortstop. That doesn’t mean a deal is imminent, or even likely. It does mean the two-time World Series MVP is at least on the menu for teams calling, which is wild enough on its own. That’s the kind of chaos you absolutely root for from Seattle.

Mariners fans have every reason to root for a Corey Seager trade now

With Pete Alonso pulling in $155 million and Kyle Schwarber getting $150 million, the $186 million remaining on Seager's deal suddenly doesn’t look so terrifying. He’s only 31. He still plays a strong shortstop. And among all the bats even loosely available this winter, he’s arguably the best of the bunch.

“Listening mode” isn’t the same as “shopping,” but it’s loud enough that you can hear the gears grinding in Arlington. Despite not trying to dump his salary, the Rangers are still very much in a payroll crunch. They’ve already moved Marcus Semien, and they’re clearly not ruling out anything.

Meanwhile, from a Mariners perspective, the vibes are trending in the opposite direction. The A’s and Angels don’t look close. Houston feels more panicked than planned. Texas is sinking into self-inflicted surgery. Seattle suddenly looks like the one AL West team acting like a grown-up contender.

Take Seager out of that Rangers lineup, and the whole thing tilts. In 2025, he posted a 6.2 WAR with 21 home runs and a .271/.373/.487 slash in 102 games — impact numbers even in a “shortened” year. The production is still there, but the health questions are real, which is exactly why Texas might be tempted to sell high now before the back half of that contract becomes somebody’s regret.

For Chris Young and the Rangers, moving Seager would be a franchise-altering risk. For the Mariners? It would be a gift-wrapped opening. If Texas voluntarily removes its best player from the board, the road to another AL West crown gets that much clearer.