Corey Seager Discusses Rumors of 'Toxic' Marcus Semien Relationship After Mets-Rangers Trade

In January, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported that Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager had a "toxic" relationship with former teammate Marcus Semien, who was traded to the New York Mets this winter. He wasn't the only reporter to suggest there may have been tension between the two.

But on Monday, Seager denied those categorizations of his relationship with Semien.

"That's just all speculation," he told Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. "We had a fine relationship. We both respect each other. We were both professional and we knew how to go about our business and try to accomplish a goal. We did that in 2023. You can't take that away from us."

Either way it's water under the bridge now, with Semien dealt to the Mets in November for Brandon Nimmo. It was part of a major reshuffling of New York's roster, while the Rangers made a pair of notable trades, which included the addition of pitcher MacKenzie Gore.

And now Seager will have a new running mate in the middle of the infield, with players like Josh Smith, Ezequiel Duran, Cody Freeman and Sam Haggerty fighting for the starting job at second base. Smith is the frontrunner.