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:

4. Seattle Mariners

Kyle Seager’s contract with the Seattle Mariners is up and it was an emotional scene at the end of the 2021 season. However, just because his contract is up doesn’t mean that he can’t re-sign with the Mariners at a cheaper price and be a Mariner for life.

The Mariners now have more space below the luxury tax to make a splashy signing, and if there is one person that can tell Corey about how great it is to be a Mariner, it is his brother, Kyle. The Mariners already have the most famous father-son duo in MLB history. Perhaps they could create the most famous brother duo in MLB history as well? This possibility became much more of a reality when we learned the story of the M’s dismissing the elder Seager with a rude email was hogwash.

The Mariners are in a perfect position to make a big splash signing like Corey Seager. They nearly made the AL Wild Card last season, and with so much young talent not only on the team but coming up in the farm system, all arrows are pointing up.

The team needs other things as well, such as pitching, but there is no pitcher in their prime on the market this offseason. The team would benefit much more from signing someone like Seager over Max Scherzer, and Seager is more likely to come to Seattle because of his brother.

The team could put Seager at shortstop and move J.P. Crawford to second, or could even play him at third and put his brother at DH. Regardless, there are ways to make room for him and that would be exactly the kind of splash signing that Seattle is looking for.

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:

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.