Marcus Semien could be perfect dark horse free agency fit for Dodgers

You might be distracted by the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ impending free agents or their glaring need for starting pitching. And you wouldn’t be wrong. But don’t let that blind you from other opportunities this offseason.

We’ve already talked about the Oakland Athletics fire sale, which could help Andrew Friedman patch up a number of holes in one trade. The A’s have starting and relief pitching as well as premier position players to offer. LA needs all of that.

But for the sake of this experiment, let’s say shortstop Corey Seager leaves in free agency, which, honestly, feels like the most likely departure among this Dodgers’ group when you look at the acquisition of Trea Turner plus the likely cost of Seager, whose defensive abilities may not allow him to play shortstop for much longer.

With Turner shifting over to short should Seager leave, that creates a vacancy at second base. Do the Dodgers really want to make Gavin Lux their Opening Day starting second baseman … especially after losing Seager’s bat? No way. If he’s not used in a trade package to acquire something else, then we’re not sure what the Dodgers are doing.

Assuming second base is open for 2022, Marcus Semien needs to be talked about more as a match for 2020 World Series champs.

The Dodgers should consider signing Marcus Semien.

There is one issue here, and it’s that Semien switched representation to agent Scott Boras, who also represents Seager, which is likely among the reasons why a return isn’t all that expected. Boras will be looking to gouge every last suitor for the maximum amount of money.

On the flip side, however, there’s no way Semien commands close to what Seager will. He’s 31 and Seager is 27. He has no postseason success, whereas Seager is the 2020 NLCS and WS MVP.

Semien truly has only two good seasons on his career ledger while Seager is a Rookie of the Year winner, two-time Silver Slugger, two-time All-Star, and two-time top-10 MVP finisher. Semien has one All-Star nod, one Gold Glove, and two top-three MVP finishes since debuting in 2013. Nothing else.

What’re we talking here, though? Five years and $150 million as a definitive ceiling for Semien? At age 31, it’s hard to see him getting more than that, but we’ve been wrong before. Let’s just use that as the example here, though.

If the Dodgers just gave internet troll Trevor Bauer $102 million over three years, which included record-setting AAVs, why wouldn’t they pay $30 million per year through 2026 for Semien, who still probably has three prime years remaining based on his trajectory? He just won a Gold Glove at second base, where he’s a better defender, and secured another top-three MVP finish. He deserves to get paid and there’s arguably no better place than LA for him. He’ll be padded in another stacked lineup, he’ll return to the West Coast (he’s from San Fran and dominated in Oakland), and he can avoid a transition back to shortstop, where he’s played just 74 total games since the start of 2020.

But best of all? The Dodgers could be stealing a premier free agent from the Giants, who are rumored to be exploring the possibility of adding the former sixth-round pick.

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