5 teams most likely to steal Corey Seager from the Dodgers

It is well-documented at this point in the offseason that Corey Seager is a free agent and the Los Angeles Dodgers are going to have some competition in bringing him back. Seager, alongside Carlos Correa and Trevor Story, is part of a hot shortstop free agent market this winter.

While Seager is a fan favorite in LA, money talks, and as a Scott Boras client, we should not expect Seager to give the Dodgers any hometown discounts. While the Dodgers have the pocketbook to pay Seager, you cannot fully blame the team for setting a ceiling for Seager with his injury history.

Any team in baseball would benefit from having Seager, but as it stands today, there are five teams who seem to make the most sense for the 2020 World Series MVP.

5 teams most likely to steal Corey Seager from the Dodgers:

5. Toronto Blue Jays

Corey Seager probably is not the Blue Jays’ no. 1 offseason target. That would be Marcus Semien, who is coming off of an MVP finalist season after signing a one-year deal with Toronto. The most likely outcome for Toronto is probably retaining Semien, but if he walks away, Seager is an excellent plan B.

This also allows Seager to move to third base, which is something that he probably should have already done in his career. Bo Bichette can continue to man shortstop and the Blue Jays can shift Cavan Biggio over to second base full-time.

Seager may want to stay at shortstop, but so did Manny Machado when he was a free agent and look how much shortstop he has played? If the Blue Jays offer him the highest contract to play third base, then he is likely going to play third base.

Seager fits nicely in the Blue Jays’ lineup as well. The team’s three best hitters, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., George Springer and Bichette, are all right-handed. Seager adds a nice balance to the lineup and even allows the Blue Jays to potentially trade Orelvis Martinez or Jordan Groshans in the future for more pitching.

Teams that could steal Corey Seager from the Dodgers:

3. Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers might not seem to make a lot of sense at first as they are one of the worst teams in MLB. Why in the world would Corey Seager go from the most consistently successful franchise in baseball to one of the worst?

Well, as mentioned several times now, money talks, and the Rangers have plenty of money to spend. The Rangers are far from being a small-market franchise and have given out big contracts before. With an excess amount of tax room, Seager could be their guy as they intend to spend $100 million (annually) this offseason.

There are also existing connections between the Rangers and Seager. The other premier free agents this offseason might not sign with Texas because of the recent track record, but these connections could convince Seager to go to Texas and be the face of a new era.

Seager reportedly has a good relationship with Rangers manager Chris Woodward, who used to be a coach in the Dodgers system. The Rangers also hired Tim Hyers as the club’s hitting coach. Hyers was an assistant hitting coach on the Dodgers in 2016 and 2017 before he bolted to the Red Sox.

The Rangers are also ironically littered with former Dodgers to the point where it seems like they are just trying to replicate Andrew Friedman’s operation. On top of Woodward and Hyers, the Rangers also have former Dodgers (or Dodger farmhands) Willie Calhoun, DJ Peters, Dennis Santana, Josh Sborz, Charlie Culberson and Jharel Cotton in the fold. Why not Seager?

Teams that could steal Corey Seager from the Dodgers:

2. Los Angeles Angels

Yes, the Los Angeles Angels need pitching more than they need another bat, but hasn’t that been the case for the last decade-plus? That did not stop them from getting Anthony Rendon, Josh Hamilton, or any other absurd contract that didn’t work out (the jury is still out on Rendon).

The Angels made a head-scratching signing on Tuesday by agreeing to a one-year, $21 million contract with Noah Syndergaard. Big name? Sure. But “Thor” has only pitched two innings since 2019, and in 2019 was not even that great… in the National League.

He is almost 30 and has dealt with the kind of injuries that pitchers don’t come back from. And knowing the Angels’ track record, it probably won’t work out. However, also knowing the Angels’ track record, they are probably looking at that signing like it is the jackpot and they just found their ace.

They will probably fill out the rest of the staff with cheap arms and cheap relievers while hoping that the 1-2 of Syndergaard and Shohei Ohtani is enough.

The Angels still have money to spend, though, and if there is one area of the lineup that needs to be addressed, it is the shortstop position. Seager obviously fits that billing, and also adds some balance to the lineup with another left-handed bat.

In theory, the Angels could have one of the best lineups in MLB. Something along the lines of Adell-Seager-Trout-Ohtani-Rendon-Walsh-Stassi-Marsh-Fletcher could be really exciting.

The Angels could spin that as a lineup that can contend for a World Series, pay Seager the big bucks, and also argue that he does not even need to move across the country. Of course, knowing the Angels, it would end up somehow blowing up in their face and not working.

Teams that could steal Corey Seager from the Dodgers:

1. New York Yankees

Of course, the New York Yankees are the top team on this list. If there is one team that can outspend the Los Angeles Dodgers, it is the Yankees, and they are connected to both Seager and Carlos Correa this offseason.

Correa has to be one of the most hated players in the league, especially among Yankee fans, so I would imagine the front office would favor someone like Seager. Winning is all that matters at the end of the day, but with everything Correa has said about New York, and even bashing Derek Jeter, I find it hard to see that relationship going over smoothly.

Plus, the Yankees need another left-handed bat in their lineup far more than they need a right-handed bat. Even if Correa puts together slightly better offensive metrics, Seager helps balance the lineup more than Correa does.

The Yankees would obviously be an intriguing destination for Seager, as he would get paid a boatload of money, would get to hit home runs into that short right-field porch and would always play for a team that is going to do all it can to contend for a World Series.

He does not need to worry about playing on a terrible team three years into his contract. The Yankees will always be competitive.

Seager just looks like a Yankee as well. As much as it pains to say, he has the clean-shaven Yankee look and I can already envision him hitting 30+ home runs a season in those pinstripes… if he can stay healthy, of course.