Corey Seager Rumors: Rangers Remain 'In Mix' for SS After Marcus Semien Contract

The Texas Rangers remain in the Corey Seager sweepstakes after reportedly signing Marcus Semien to a massive contract, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

MLB Network's Jon Heyman previously reported the American League West team is "open to signing another of the big shortstops" and noted it has contacted Seager, Trevor Story, Javier Baez and Carlos Correa.

This comes after ESPN's Jeff Passan reported the Rangers agreed to a seven-year, $175 million contract with Semien.

Seager is coming off a season in which he slashed .306/.394/.521 with 16 home runs and 57 RBI in 95 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The seven-year veteran owns a career .297/.367/.504 slash line. He has received MVP votes three times in his career, finishing as high as third in 2016, the same season in which he won the National League Rookie of the Year award.

Seager also played a major role in the Dodgers' 2020 championship run, winning MVP of both the NLCS and World Series. He hit .328 with eight home runs and 20 RBI during that postseason.

Also of note, Seager has been named to two All-Star teams and won a pair of Silver Sluggers. 

While Semien is capable of playing shortstop, he also has experience elsewhere. According to FanGraphs, Semien played 1,246.1 innings at second base and 134 innings at shortstop last season, so relying on him as the primary shortstop may not be the best plan.

Passan reported the Rangers "went into this winter with money to spend" and are "targeting more offense as well as starting pitching" while remaining involved in the pursuit of Story.

Any of the top-notch shortstops would be a major acquisition for a Texas squad attempting to reach the postseason for the first time since the 2016 campaign. The Rangers were just 60-102 in 2021 and finished in last place in the AL West, so there is plenty of room for improvement.

Being in a division with the Houston Astros and Oakland Athletics doesn't make life much easier, although landing players like Semien will certainly help.

All Semien did in 2021 was win a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger while making his first career All-Star Game. He slashed .265/.334/.538 with 45 home runs, 102 RBI and 15 stolen bases while helping Toronto finish with a 91-71 record.

He also played for the Chicago White Sox and Athletics the previous eight years and notably hit 33 long balls in 2019 for Oakland.

Semien is familiar with the AL West from that time with the Athletics and may have the opportunity to play alongside a notable shortstop in Texas given the recent updates.