The Texas Rangers' decision to give Corey Seager a longterm contract in 2021 paid off big time two years later when the Rangers won the World Series, but it could hurt their wallet in the future.
The star power that Corey Seager provided in 2023 for the Texas Rangers will live on in the lore of the organization for years to come after he hit .327 with 33 home runs and 96 RBIs to help the club capture its first World Series title.
The 10-year, $325 million bet the Rangers placed on Seager in 2021 paid off two years later, but the future may not be prosperous. Recently, Bleacher Report added Seager’s deal in its list titled “Projecting MLB's 9 Biggest Nightmare Contracts by 2028.”
“While Corey Seager's injury history isn't quite as extensive as Mike Trout's, he has missed at least 39 games in each of the past three seasons, getting a reputation for inevitable time spent on the shelf,” it wrote. “And how often do injury-prone shortstops suddenly figure out how to stay healthy in their mid-30s?
“Better yet, how often do shortstops provide any real value into their mid-30s regardless of their injury history?”
Seager played in four more regular season contests the year after the Rangers won the Fall Classic, but his offensive production declined as he hit .278 with 30 home runs and 74 RBIs. Still very good, but not quite the same, especially with his OPS dropping from 1.013 to .864.
In 2025, Seager’s availability fell more drastically and, by extension, so did his numbers. The 31-year-old appeared in 102 games and logged a .271 batting average with 21 home runs and 50 RBIs, and his OPS fell a bit more to .860.
“Derek Jeter fared pretty well into his late-30s, even batting .316 in his age-38 campaign. But that was a rarity and it was 13 years ago. The only example worth mentioning in the past decade was Brandon Crawford flirting with an NL MVP in his age-34 season—and even he had a .618 OPS from that point forward.”
“Granted, Seager doesn't have to remain a shortstop. By the time 19-year-old top prospect Sebastian Walcott is ready for the Rangers' gig, Joc Pederson will be out of the picture and Seager could become the full-time DH. That could buy him a few more years of good production, as he did still have an .860 OPS this past season for the 102 games he didn't miss.”
By 2028, Seager will be in his age-34 season, marking the end of his prime and drawing larger concerns about his health and the size of his contract, so an adjustment to designated hitter in hopes he retains his spark at the plate may be in order.
“At this point, though, we'll believe he can stay healthy when he actually does it again, and that skepticism for 2028-31 will only exponentiate if he misses significant chunks of the next two seasons.”
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