NEWSLETTER
I’m not gonna turn this into a situation where I’m trying to tell you the Chicago Cubs are definitely in on free agent shortstop Corey Seager, and thus should be mentioned in every stray tweet that talks about his market. Even with recent rumors, it would still very much be a surprise to learn that the Cubs are making a serious Seager push right now. Paying closer attention to his market is one thing; expecting the Cubs to blow past a $200 million offer is another thing.
That said, I’d be lying if I didn’t have a very specific reaction to this tweet from Jon Heyman:
Yankees and Dodgers are both playing for star SS Corey Seager. For a big free agent, this tandem of marquee teams is like the Holy Grail.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 17, 2021
Say Mystery Team, Jon! Keep hopes alive!
Ok, but again, seriously: this isn’t Heyman saying those are the only two teams in on Seager, and it is also a convenient mention for Seager’s camp. However involved those teams are, yes, you’d love for everyone to believe the two behemoths are pursuing you aggressively in mid-November when there are four other top shortstops on the market (and the Dodgers also already have Trea Turner).
The reality with Seager, like Carlos Correa, is that there would always be a relatively limited pool of potential suitors, because not even every big market club is going to be involved. So you can pretty safely include the Yankees and Dodgers, and beyond that, you have to start making some leaps and assumptions. I don’t really have a great sense just yet on which teams are actually going to be aggressively in on either guy, aside from the Yankees and perhaps the Tigers and Rangers (rumored on Correa). Teams are still playing things very close to the vest, and I am just kinda getting itchy to start hearing rumors about the teams in on the top shortstops outside of simple and obvious dot-connecting.
With Seager, I’ll mention that his market might depend a bit on his own willingness to be marketed as a third baseman (where he might wind up in a year or two anyway). That, for example, is probably where he makes the most sense long-term on a return to the Dodgers, and would also make him attractive to a large number of teams with an already-entrenched shortstop. He’ll still want to be paid like a tip-top shortstop, though, and it’s just kind of another complicating layer on figuring out his market.
If the rumors are true about Seager being a guy who could seek offers before the CBA expires on December 1, however, I’d think we would start hearing about his market soon. Well, unless we did just hear, and it’s only the Yankees and Dodgers …
