MLB Seattle Mariners

Kyle Seager Will Be Excellent Consolation Prize for Seattle Mariners

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By @bradberreman24

Kyle Seager, Seattle Mariners, MLB

Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

The Seattle Mariners made a significant foray into the free agent market a year ago, signing second baseman Robinson Cano to a 10-year, $240 million contract, and they seem willing to make offseason headlines again this winter with reported interest in multiple big-name players.

One of Seattle’s top rumored free agent targets, shortstop Hanley Ramirez, has reportedly agreed to a four-year, $88 million deal with the Boston Red Sox. But losing out on Ramirez will prove to be a blessing for the Mariners, as it allowed them to make a significant investment in one of their best young players.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports has reported that the Mariners are close to finalizing a seven-year, $100 million contract extension with third baseman Kyle Seager. The deal is, of course, contingent on Seager passing a physical, but that should not hold things up.

Seager is coming off a very good 2014 season, as he set career-highs in home runs (25), RBI (96) and OPS (.788), and he also earned his first All-Star selection and took home the first Gold Glove of his young career. His 67 home runs over the last three seasons, with at least 20 in each season, ranks fourth among major league third baseman over that span, behind Adrian Beltre, Pedro Alvarez and Evan Longoria.

Seager was going to be arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter, so the Mariners have now bought out those three years while also giving themselves some cost certainty when Seager would have ordinarily hit free agency.

The move also works from Seager’s side, with significant salaries through the next three years that will surely far exceed any raises he would have gotten via arbitration. At age 27, he is entering his prime and should remain a key piece for the Mariners for many years to come.

Advance defensive metrics back up Seager’s prowess in that area, with a 10.6 Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR), 10 defensive runs saved, 58 out of zone plays made (via FanGraphs.com) and a 96.6 percent “Good Throw Rate” (via Baseball America) in 2014. He also led American League third baseman in a more traditional defensive statistic, with a .981 fielding percentage.

Seager has been very durable. playing 155, 160 and 159 games over his three full major league seasons, while offering unexpected production as a base stealer with 29 stolen bases (in 42 opportunities) over the last three seasons. Add it all up, and you have an underrated young talent that contributes in multiple areas and has shown excellent consistency so far in his career. The type of all-around talent Seager offers as a third baseman is rare to say the least, and that makes him worthy of a long-term commitment from Seattle even if he never quite becomes a franchise-changing superstar.

On the flip side, Ramirez is on the wrong side of 30 (31 on Dec.23) and he has been bothered by multiple injuries over the last few seasons. Add in potential concerns about his attitude, and the likelihood he’ll have to switch positions now or certainly in the near future, and I think Ramirez will have a hard time returning substantial value for the Red Sox over the course of the next four seasons. The Mariners were wise to avoid signing Ramirez in particular, above any other free agent they may have been (or may still be) kicking the tires on, as they look to build a young core of players around Cano and become a sustainable playoff contender in 2015 and beyond.

Seager’s contract includes an eighth-year team option for the 2022 season that could be worth up to $20 million, depending on his reaching certain escalators prior to that. Exactly how good Seager will be by that point is impossible to predict, as he will turn 35 after the 2022 season ends, but his body type and overall statistical profile should age fairly gracefully and allow him to sustain a solid level of production deep into his 30′s.

Seager’s value holds up in the wider picture, regardless of position, as he finished this past season 10th among American League position players with a WAR (Wins Above Replacement) of 5.8. Two third baseman, Josh Donaldson (7.4 WAR) and Beltre (7.0 WAR), actually finished higher than him among American League position players in Win Above Replacement, but that speaks more to how good Donaldson and Beltre are than any shortcomings Seager has.

Seager compares favorably to Pablo Sandoval, who was one of the top free agents on the market this offseason and has now reportedly agreed to a five-year deal worth close to $100 million with the Red Sox. Seager’s market value may prove to be comparable, or even higher than, Sandoval’s when he hit free agency after the 2017 season, especially when allowing for all but certain inflation that will come in terms of player salaries. While the Mariners are taking a significant risk by signing Seager to a nine-figure contract, the deal is also shaping up as a potential discount for them over the final four guaranteed years of the deal.

Essentially bowing out of a potential bidding war for Ramirez at some point recently, and choosing to re-allocate that money toward Seager, was a great move for the Mariners. As long as the young third baseman continues to be a consistent offensive producer, a Gold Glove-caliber defensive player and an above replacement-level talent overall, we’ll look back on a big contract being money well-spent for Seattle.

Brad Berreman is a Columnist at Rant Sports.com. Connect with him on Twitter or Google +.

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