Holy crap, the Seattle Mariners are doing something good once again. The club is reportedly in agreement with third baseman Kyle Seager on a seven-year contract extension worth $100 million. The contract also contains an eighth year option worth $20 million.
The 27-year old Seager has hit .262/.328/.429 in three-plus seasons in the majors. 2014 was the best year of his career, as Seager was an AL All-Star, a Gold Glove winner, and the author of a .268/.334/.454 line with 25 homers. Keep in mind – he plays half of his games at the pitcher-friendly Safeco Field. On the road, Seager has hit .274/.332/.461 over his career.
Those numbers may not look all that appetizing. But consider this – the average line for a major league third baseman in 2014 was .258/.317/.397. Over Seager’s three full seasons in the majors, he has more home runs than Chase Headley, Hanley Ramirez, and Pablo Sandoval, the three best infielders on the market this winter. Ramirez got a four year, $88 million contract from Boston. Sandoval is reportedly getting five years and between $90 and 100 million. Seager, who is younger than all three, just as productive, and has missed just 12 games over the last three years, is getting a maximum of $120 million over the next eight seasons.
Locking Seager up was a no-brainer for the Mariners. The only commitments they had past 2014 were ace Felix Hernandez and crown jewel Robinson Cano. Now, they’ve got a third building block in place for the long term. Even if Seager continuing rolling right along as a three-win player, his contract is a lot more palatable than the eight year, $138 million contract that the Mets gave to David Wright two winters ago or the six-year, $100 million contract that the Nationals handed Ryan Zimmerman during the Spring Training of 2012.
Kyle Seager isn’t a sexy player. He’s not Ken Griffey Jr. He’s not Ichiro Suzuki. Hell, he’s not Robinson Cano. But in this market, given the poor state of the third base position, his extension with the Mariners is a steal.
[Yahoo]
