*Photo from The Athletic*
The shortstop market this offseason is one of the deepest that baseball has ever seen. The first big domino in that area has fallen. The Texas Rangers and SS/2B Marcus Semien have agreed to a 7 year, $175 million deal, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. The Rangers have confirmed the deal.
After a dead last finish in the AL West in 2021, the Rangers entered this offseason with a boatload of money to spend, with only one player on their roster having a guaranteed contract for 2022. The 7 year deal is a bit risky, as Semien will be 38 when it expires, but, after finishing in 3rd place in AL MVP voting, Semien definitely deserves the big payday he's getting.
Rangers president of baseball operations Jon Daniels said of Semien that "Marcus’ reputation around the game is impeccable. He’s a leader in every clubhouse he steps into, respected for the way he goes about his work and how he treats others. There are few players in the game who garner the level of respect that he does from teammates and opponents alike. We’re thrilled to add a player of his caliber to the organization."
The contract to Semien is even more interesting when you see that it's the first long term free agent deal the Rangers have signed with anyone since Shin-Soo Choo agreed to a 7 year, $130 million deal in the 2013 offseason. Semien signs this contract after coming off a one year deal worth $18 million that he signed with the Toronto Blue Jays last offseason.
In his only season in Toronto last year, Semien turned in the best season of his career. He hit a .265 batting average with a .873 OPS, mashing 45 home runs and driving in 102 runs, stealing 15 bases and making the all star game while playing in all 162 regular season games for the Blue Jays, who missed the playoffs by one game last season.
With the Blue Jays, his strong hitting set records. His 45 home runs are the most in a single season for a primary second baseman, which Semien was last season. His all star game appearance was the first of his career. Semien also took home his first career Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award. His 3rd place finish in the AL MVP voting was behind teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr and Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels.
Across 9 seasons in the majors, split between the Blue Jays, Chicago White Sox, and Oakland Athletics, Semien has a .265 batting average and a .768 OPS, hitting 160 home runs and driving in 482 runs, with 81 stolen bases in 1,020 games played. In 9 career playoff games, Semien has two home runs and 4 RBI's to go with 13 hits in 35 at bats.
Semien brings not only a strong bat, but strong defense to Texas as well. Not just his gold glove. He can play second base, shortstop, and 3rd base, as can Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who will be an infield battery mate of Semien's. His war, which is 7.3 according to Baseball Reference and 6.6 according to FanGraphs, is also higher than any member of the Rangers last season, with Adolis Garcia being the closest.
Rangers GM Chris Young said of Semien that "We feel that Marcus is an excellent fit for the Rangers organization from a talent, culture, and leadership standpoint. Beyond his ability as a player, Marcus is an outstanding person who leads by example both on and off the field."
The signing of Semien however, does not take the Rangers out of the running for any of the other big free agents, as the Rangers have plenty of money to spend, with Daniels saying that they would spend that money.
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