Look, I get that a lot of Cubs fans feel the team unceremoniously dropped a number of beloved stars at the Trade Deadline this year, and I’m not here to tell you you’re wrong about how you feel. I was admittedly conflicted, knowing that the Cubs were probably doing the right big picture things given all the context, but also knowing these were players who’d been important to me for a really long time.
I don’t necessarily sit in a seat of judgment here. Or at least not a good one.
But this feels really crappy:
BREAKING: Longtime third baseman Kyle Seager was informed that the Mariners would not exercise his 2022 option in an email from assistant general manager Justin Hollander, sources tell @RyanDivish. https://t.co/jUo8NFWD4j
— Seattle Times Sports (@SeaTimesSports) October 31, 2021
Seager, who turns 34 in a few days, has been in the Seattle Mariners organization since they made him a third round draft choice 12 and a half years ago. He’s been a member of the big league team for *11* seasons. No matter how much everyone expected that his option would be declined and the team would move on, that isn’t an official decision to be conveyed in an email from an assistant GM. Per the report, GM Jerry Dipoto tried first to reach Seager by phone, but when he was unable, had Hollander send the email the next day.
The Mariners held a $20 million option on Seager for 2022, but instead pay him a $2 million buyout (which means he definitely won’t be getting a qualifying offer, by the way).
He’ll be a free agent for the first time in his career, and as we recently discussed, he’s actually a sneaky great fit for the Cubs:
Second, I REALLY love the way Zumach is thinking about the types of bats the Cubs could target. For example, he gets way into soon-to-be free agent third baseman Kyle Seager, and whether you specifically dig Seager or not, Zumach’s reasoning is sound: everything Patrick Wisdom does poorly at the plate (the coverage and the types of pitches), Seager does really well. When you talk about more advanced platoon situations, this is what you want to see – one guy who MASHES fastballs and sinkers down, paired with a guy who simply never misses on anything up in the zone. Depending on the type of pitcher you’re facing on a given day (or who gets swapped in from the bullpen), that’d be quite a pairing. It’s a very 2021 Giants way of looking at platoons.
Seager, a lefty, also has traditional splits, so the pairing makes even more sense in that regard. Oh, and Seager is still a really solid defender at third base, like Wisdom. Oh, also, Seager, 33, ain’t gonna break the bank on a short-term deal, so you’re still wide open to splurge on pitching and in the outfield (without any long-term impact).
We’ll have to dig in much more on Seager as free agency opens up, but the point is that he is the TYPE of thoughtful, complementary signing that could pay huge dividends for a team like the Cubs (if stacked with a number of other impactful moves). Not every signing has to be a huge, splashy move – each year, guys like Seager wind up making surprising impacts on new clubs.
Seager is a very well-liked veteran leader, whose bat pairs well with Wisdom, and who still hits righties really well. You wouldn’t sign him to be an everyday guy at this stage of his career, but to improve your depth and rotate in? Absolutely. Even in a down 2021 season, he was still hitting righties well and also launched 35 homers:
Maybe a couple years at a reasonable AAV and he decides to sign on with the Cubs, together with about six or seven other savvily-selected free agents … ? Maybe the Cubs even finalize the deal in person with a conversation?