While Minnesota’s top priority continues to be starting pitching, the club could also be looking to add to other parts of the roster. The Twins have been rumored to be interested in adding free agent third baseman Josh Donaldson, but there are questions about his age and the length of his contract.
Would trading for a third baseman fit the team’s needs?
Seattle’s Kyle Seager could be an option teams turn to if they lose out on Donaldson or can’t land Kris Bryant from the Cubs in a trade. Seager will be entering his tenth big league season at age 32 and he has been remarkably healthy throughout the course of his career. Last season was the first time he played under 154 games since his rookie campaign.
Part of Seager’s contract might hinder teams from making a deal. Currently, there is a $15 million club option for 2022 in his contract, but this will turn to a player option if he is traded. He is due to make $19.5 million in 2020 and $18.5 million in 2021. By adding in the additional $15 million, he could cost his acquiring team $53 million over the next three years.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic is reporting that multiple teams are interested in trading for Seager. He also mentions that Seager might be in the process of amending the contract clause mentioned above.
Seattle is in the midst of a rebuild and Seager might be looking to play for a contending club. Some other options mentioned by Rosenthal include Seager getting more money over the next two seasons or the Mariners sending cash or a prospect as part of the deal.
As far as on-field production, Seager has seen a slight dip in his offensive production. Over the course of his career, he has hit .256/.324/.443 (.789) while averaging 32 doubles and 24 home runs. Seager’s batting average has dropped 20 points over the last three seasons and his OPS is down nearly 50 points. That’s even including last season when baseballs seemed to be flying all over MLB parks.
Defensively, Seager has won a Gold Glove at third base, but that came back in 2014. SABR’s Defensive Index ranked Seager in the middle of the pack defensively last season with a -0.6 SDI.
Minnesota’s Miguel Sano ranked third from the bottom with a -6.7 SDI, so Seager would be a defensive upgrade over Sano. Adding Seager would allow Sano to spend time at first base next year.
OTHER TRADE TARGET STORIES
— Matt Chapman
— David Price
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This story first appeared at Twins Daily and was re-shared through a collaboration with Bring Me The News.
