Corey Seager homering off Clayton Kershaw further highlights Dodgers' mistake

When Corey Seager departed from the Los Angeles Dodgers in free agency after the 2021 season for a massive $325 million contract with the Texas Rangers, LA fans were all that concerned. After all, Trea Turner was still here to seamlessly shift over and maintain superstar status at the position.

OK, fine. Seager wasn't going to be a Dodger for life, so might as well make Turner, who's arguably better, the crown jewel after the 2022 season when he becomes a free agent.

But the Dodgers didn't do that either. Turner departed for a $300 million contract with the Phillies, and LA opted to go with Gavin Lux ... who suffered a torn ACL in Spring Training. Now it'll be Miguel Rojas as the Opening Day starter, with nobody possessing a steadfast resume behind him. Also, Turner fell apart in the postseason, and the Dodgers didn't even make it to the World Series with him on the roster.

Looking back on it, might Dodgers fans be united in the stance that LA should've simply signed Seager, saved their trade assets for another star besides than Turner, and kept one of the faces of the franchise/2020 World Series team?

Because we'll tell ya what ... watching Seager homer off Clayton Kershaw in a meaningless Spring Training game still has us feeling some sort of way.

Did Dodgers make a mistake not keeping Corey Seager? HR off Clayton Kershaw spurs debate

The playful banter between Kershaw and Seager was nice ... but it would be nicer if maybe this happened during live batting practice with the two as Dodgers teammates still? If the Dodgers were never going to pay Turner, then why didn't they just get ahead of the high-priced shortstop market and pay their guy?

Reports suggested the Dodgers offered Seager a $300 million contract with deferrals, but he ended up taking the $325 million (and no state income tax) with the Rangers. So maybe he didn't want to return. But given the Dodgers' recent endeavors in free agency outside of Freddie Freeman, who fell into their lap, one would assume they weren't exactly overly aggressive to acquire or re-sign some of the league's top talent.

It's easy to look at the situation now and say "what the hell did the Dodgers do?!" ... but we're not doing that. There were legitimate reservations among the fanbase when Seager departed, and unease really started to set in when Turner relayed the Dodgers weren't engaged with him on contract extension talks.

The acceptance with downgrading just doesn't sit well, and it's even worse since the Dodgers didn't replace Turner -- for cheaper! -- after letting someone as impactful and iconic (from a franchise perspective) leave without a whimper.