The Los Angeles Dodgers have fallen 0-1 in the National League Champion Series to the Milwaukee Brewers. While the Dodgers looked like they had the edge over the now-World Series favorites, the nine runners left on base and three GIDP sealed their fate.
As they continue to trek towards a three-peat, it’s hard not to reflect on the past, when the Dodgers dynasty began. Only five players from the Dodgers 2020 World Series remain; Mookie Betts, Max Muncy, Will Smith, and Blake Treinen.
Their World Series MVP Corey Seager, left in 2022 to sign with the Texas Rangers, where he has been ever since. Adding another World Series MVP to his trophy shelf, but falling to injury nearly every year after.
Now that the Rangers season is done, they’re gearing up to explore trade options, and Seager may be one of them. However, Seager and the Rangers may have gotten a bit of a reality check after Bleacher Report’s ranking of MLB’s top 25 trade chips.
Did the Dodgers Win the Corey Seager Debate? SS Ranked 15th After Recent Elbow Surgery And $157.5 Million Left on Contract
In a recent article by MLB analyst Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report, he ranks the top 25 MLB trade chips of the 2026-2027 offseason. Corey Seager, a two-time World Series MVP, five-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger, and 2016 Rookie of the Year is ranked 15th-out-of-25.
While that number may seem shocking, Seager is 32 years old and underwent another surgey on his elbow. During Seager’s time with the Rangers, he’s missed over 250 games due to injury.
“A $31.5 million annual salary for the next five seasons, coupled with his lengthy injury history, won’t make it easy for the Rangers to move Seager,” Reuter wrote. “That said, he remains a star-level performer when healthy, and a thin shortstop class in free agency will shift focus to the trade market. For a team not willing to pay the steep price to acquire someone like Zach Neto or Otto Lopez, absorbing Seager’s salary at a lower acquisition cost is a potential alternative.”
While it’s important to note that Reuter doesn’t say that it will be impossible to trade Seager, he comes with a huge cost. A dent in the payroll and a risk for time spent on the injured list.
With the talks of Seager being traded, it resurfaces the debate of whether or not the Dodgers made a mistake by not re-signing Seager to the contract he deserved at the time. He did bring them a World Series in 2020.
In 2018, Seager underwent a midseason Tommy John surgery, leaving the Dodgers to rent Manny Machado for the remainder of the season. 2021, Seager fractured his right hand, missing 65 games which prompted the Trea Turner, Max Scherzer trade.
In his second season with the Rangers, Seager made history by being the first player to win multiple World Series MVPs with different franchises.
The Rangers 2023 World Series win left the Dodgers with a bitter taste in their mouth. And since then, the Rangers have yet to find their way back into the playoffs, whereas the Dodgers are en route to their third World Series in as many years.
Seager’s departure allowed the Dodgers to take on the contracts of Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Freddie Freeman. Two of which were World Series MVPs, and the other making history as the first player to record 10 Ks while hitting three home runs.
Teams Potentially Interested in Corey Seager
While Seager’s contract isn’t an easy one to swallow, the shortstop is still one of the most consistent players on both defense and offense in the league.
Last offseason, the Boston Red Sox were interested in Seager, but the Rangers weren’t willing to move him.
Joel Sherman of MLB Network, recently stated that the Atlanta Braves checked in on Seager last offseason.
“A lot of teams checked in on Seager last offseason,” Sherman said. “I believe Atlanta was one of those teams. I wouldn’t be surprised if they did it again.”
The Braves wouldn’t be a surprising destination for Seager. Atlanta is need for a change after their early departure in the postseason this year. Rumors of trading Ronald Acuña Jr. and Ozzie Albies have begun swirling.
If the Braves were to trade Acuña and Albies, that would free up around $24 million a year, which nearly covers Seagers contract, and they don’t have to worry about another big extension.
Los Angeles Dodgers Get Intriguing Corey Seager Trade News After NLCS Loss