4 teams that should regret not signing Corey Seager when they had the chance
By Mark Powell
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.