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Kyle Seager Announces MLB Retirement After 11 Seasons with Mariners
December 29, 2021
Kyle Seager is retiring after 11 seasons in MLB.
Julie Seager shared a statement on her husband's behalf to announce the news:
The 34-year-old third baseman spent his entire career with the Seattle Mariners. His 1,480 appearances are the fourth-most in franchise history.
In November, the Mariners declined Seager's $20 million option for the 2022 season.
The move didn't come as a surprise.
In Seattle's season finale, a 7-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Oct. 3, Seager exited midway through the top half of the ninth inning. That allowed the home fans to bid him farewell.
Seattle Seahawks star Russell Wilson commended his Pacific Northwest peer:
While he failed to immediately sign with another team, the 2014 All-Star might have found a new home later in the offseason based on his performance in 2021. He had 35 home runs, 101 RBI and a .723 OPS in 159 games. His 2.5 WAR tied for 14th-best among third basemen at FanGraphs.
The North Carolina native appeared to have another good season or two left in the tank. And considering the Mariners never made the playoffs during his tenure, he could've joined a playoff contender to taste the success that eluded him in Seattle.
Seager's retirement comes when business across MLB is at a standstill after team owners locked out the players.
The Athletic's Evan Drellich reported Dec. 15 that MLB and the MLB Players Association may not discuss "core economics" until at least January. The lockout could drag into the spring and jeopardize the start of the regular season.
Rather than wait to see how negotiations progress on a new collective bargaining agreement, Seager may have preferred to avoid the headache.
He walks away having posted a .251/.321/.442 slash line for his career. Only Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez and Jay Buhner have more home runs than Seager (242) in a Mariners uniform.