The Texas Rangers signed shortstop Corey Seager to a monster contract back in 2021. The 10-year, $325 million deal reset the shortstop market at the time, despite some questions as to how Seager would develop at the position long term.
The Rangers committed to Seager, and it paid off big time. Seager has since put together a monster couple of seasons in Arlington, and led the Rangers to the World Series. If Texas can win two more game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Seager should win the World Series MVP award, as he hit another home run on Tuesday night.
Seager was relieved to have a long-term commitment and put the free agency process behind him. However, some teams surely regret not expressing more interest in the player when he was available for the taking. That's where I come in.
The New York Yankees should regret not signing Corey Seager
The New York Yankees had a chance to sign Corey Seager in 2021. Derek Jeter had since retired, and the team needed a long-term shortstop. While they had potential answers in the farm system at the time -- look no further than Gleyber Torres and current Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe -- it's tough to imagine either being as productive as Seager.
WFAN host Boomer Esiason made such a comment this week, expressing regret that the Yankees didn't sign Seager when they had the opportunity.
"That Corey Seager is a player, man. That's a winning player," Esiason said on WFAN's "Boomer & Gio,"via Audacy. That's a guy that if you had to do it all over again, do you think the Yankees should have gone after him?"
Seager would have put a dent in the Yankees checkbook, sure. It may have put the front office's backs against the wall as it pertains to extending Aaron Judge, which they accomplished last winter. However, Seager paired with Judge would have been a tough duo to stop. Instead, the Yankees pursued other options.
"Corey Seager is a winning ballplayer, you know what I mean? He reminds me - he's I guess their version of Derek Jeter although he started with the Dodgers. I just think he's a great ballplayer. Really tremendous. And he's a winning ballplayer," Esiason continued.
The former Bengals QB isn't wrong. The Yankees could've signed a game-changing talent. Instead, they passed.
The Detroit Tigers should regret not signing Corey Seager
The Detroit Tigers signed Javy Baez the same offseason Corey Seager was a free agent. Baez has since become a scapegoat of sorts in the motor city, while Seager continues to thrive and turn the Rangers into a perennial World Series contender.
Baez was such a bad signing, in fact, that the Tigers couldn't find a trade partner for him if they tried thanks to his contract. Javy's struggles after his half-season of success in New York are well documented.
Seager was out of the Tigers price range at the time, which falls directly on ownership. Now with a group of players perhaps rounding into form, new GM Scott Harris has a lot of tough questions to answer as to the future of this club. Seager would have helped matters in the post-Miguel Cabrera team development.
The Boston Red Sox should have signed Corey Seager
The Red Sox opted to sign Trevor Story instead of Corey Seager in the 2021 offseason. At the time, Xander Bogaerts manned the shortstop position, but he has since taken his talents to the San Diego Padres.
Signing Story and moving him to second base was supposed to provide a long-term position for Bogaerts. Instead, Chaim Bloom failed to lock down one of the Red Sox's best homegrown talents. Bogaert's departure played a major role in Bloom's eventual dismissal. It was the wrong call.
Signing Seager as Bogaerts insurance would have made far more sense than Story, who at the time faced questions as to whether he could hit consistently outside of Coors Field, or if he could transition to a new position.
The Los Angeles Dodgers could have kept Corey Seager
Corey Seager won a World Series MVP for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Yet, they let him walk in favor of internal options. At the time, the fanbase didn't consider Seager a long-term option at the position, especially given his asking price. But would Los Angeles have been better-served keeping him, rather than letting Seager walk?
The easy answer here is yes, though that includes some revisionist history. The Dodgers believed in Gavin Lux, then one of their top prospects, as the shortstop of the future. In the meantime, Los Angeles thought they could man the position with short-term free agent contract. That did not pan out.
The Dodgers could very well be in pole positioning to sign Shohei Ohtani this offseason. If they signed Seager, that might be out the window, even for this ownership group. However, would they have won another World Series with Seager in tow?
