Oct 16, 2020; Arlington, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager (5) celebrates his two run homerun against the Atlanta Braves during the seventh inning in game five of the 2020 NLCS at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Dodgers: MLB Insider Highlights Fallback Option for LA to Replace Corey Seager
Corey Seager has become one of the team’s building blocks over the years despite fighting injuries. When on the field he tears apart opposing pitching with his left-handed bat driving the ball from gap to gap. He was the NLCS and World Series MVP for the Dodgers in 2020, and there’s no doubt he could be a serious MVP candidate if he could stay relatively healthy for a full season.
With the 27-year old hitting free agency for the first time in his career, Los Angeles will have to decide if they are willing to pay up to keep him around. Many other teams around the league would love to plug him into their lineup, so it won’t be easy. However, two things complicate the situation: Scott Boras is his agent meaning the asking price would be high and the Dodgers already have an inflated payroll with other holes to fill.
With that being said, Jim Bowden of The Athletic recently highlighted the most likely route Los Angeles could go if Seager signs elsewhere.
“If the Dodgers can’t re-sign Seager, don’t expect them to pivot to (Carlos) Correa, (Javy) Báez, (Marcus) Semien, or (Trevor) Story. Plan B would probably be to move Trea Turner to shortstop and Gavin Lux to second base.”
The shortstop free agent market will be loaded and it's easy for fans of the sport to drool over the thought of adding one to their favorite team. Yet, if Corey Seager were to depart, the team already has a backup option that is more likely to take place than sighing another free agent.
Trea Turner is still signed through the 2022 season and would slide over to short with Gavin Lux taking over second base duties. They could also look to extending Turner to ensure they have a shortstop beyond that.
While it would be nice to see the Dodgers add one of the other free agent shortstops to help fill the hole left by Seager, it wouldn’t make sense seeing as they have another top shortstop at their disposal as well as many other holes to fill.
