Seattle Mariners: Kyle Seager’s accelerated free fall in 2018
A trade?
Many Mariners fans want general manager Jerry Dipoto to trade Seager during the off-season. That might be short sided. Due to Seattle’s poor farm system, there doesn’t look to be anyone coming up soon to take over at third base. Dipoto would need to get another third baseman in return.
The only option on their current roster would be to move Ryon Healy from first base to third base. In 2016, he came up with the Oakland A’s and played all his games 72 at third base, followed by 34 more games at the hot corner in 2017.
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If moves like these were to happen, the Mariners could use Robinson Cano and possibly Daniel Vogelbach at first base, Allowing Dee Gordon to move back second base permanently.
It’s unlikely (not impossible) Seager gets traded this year. If he doesn’t, M’s fans can only hope he gets back to his career averages before the last two years. For the Mariners to get into the playoffs, they need to have Seager be the player he should be as he enters the prime of his career. Additionally, Seager currently gets paid $19M a year for the next two seasons, then $18M in 2021, with an option in 2022.
There are only two teams I can see taking Seager off the Mariner’s hands. First is the Los Angeles Dodgers where he could play alongside his brother Corey. Second is the New York Yankees because they can afford him and they need to replace Didi Gregarious’ bat while he misses the first half of 2019 recovering from “Tommy John” surgery.
Ideally, I want Seager to be the leader of the M’s young core of players in Dee Gordon, Mitch Haniger, Jean Segura and Mike Zunino.