MLB Insider Talks Potential Friction Between Pair of Rangers Superstars

MLB Insider Jon Heyman didn't hold back when discussing inside information on the conflict Rangers teammates Marcus Semien and Corey Seager had during their time as teammates.

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Recently during a Bleacher Report livestream with chat users, MLB insider and New York Post writer Jon Heyman went through several different topics of the MLB offseason around the league. For around 30 minutes, Heyman answered questions from chat users on the fly.

One user by the name of "userMark21" as Heyman about a possible Corey Seager trade to the Red Sox. The Texas Rangers right now are currently retooling their roster, having sent Marcus Semien to the New York Mets in exchange for a younger veteran asset in Brandon Nimmo. Since Texas made a stark move like that, maybe Seager was also in the mix.

"I've seen it out there that they're listening on Seager, and everything I get is that they do not want to trade Seager," Heyman said.

Seager and Semien's Reported Relationship

Heyman reports that Seager and Semien had tension throughout their tenure as teammates and that led to the eventual trade that sent Semien to the Mets. Him and Seager did not see eye to eye, were "two different people." and having them both on the team throughout their tenure as teammates together developed "a bit of conflict" that forced the Rangers hand to trade the lesser star.

“I thought Seager and Semien was kind of a thing there that they wanted to break up,” Heyman said. “You know they are two different people, you know like it's a kind of a clubhouse thing a little bit of a conflict there and I thought they when they traded Semien that meant Seager was staying.”

Heyman didn't go much deeper into detail as to what more went down with the two All-Stars. Both Seager and Semien were signed by the Rangers in the 2021 offseason to large contracts after the team suffered 102 losses, missing the playoffs for the fifth straight season.

Both teammates on opposing sides of the diamond were integral in getting the Rangers back into the postseason in 2023, the year they won the teams first World Series in franchise history.

Sometimes, two different people can set things aside, go out and win a championship. Unfortunately, 2023 appeared to be a fluke season. Texas has failed to make the playoffs since then.

It's possible that the tensions boiled over after failing to make it to October in 2025. Semien is known to be a workhorse, having played nearly every single full regular season game from 2019-2024.

Seager's more talented, hence the 10-year $325 million contract he signed compared to Semien's seven-year $170 million. However, shortstop has spent lengthy amounts of time on the injured list over the years.

Still, the stats don't lie. Seager, although injured, finished the 2025 season with .271/.373./.487 splits with a 6.2 WAR in 102 games. At 31 years old, he still has enough gas in the tank. Semien on the other hand struggled in 2025 with .230/.305/.384 splits and a 3.3 WAR. He is also approaching father time at 35 years old.

President of baseball operations Chris Young has made it clear he has no intention of trading Seager. In talking about the Semien trade, he framed it as a one-for-one deal that makes the Rangers a bit younger and a bit cheaper, emphasising Nimmo's high on-base percentage and the franchise's need to find hitters that can get on base more consistently.

Kevin Pillar's Impression On Rangers Leadership

There isn't much in depth discussion, but Kevin Pillar, retired MLB outfielder, spent his final month in the MLB on the Texas Rangers in 2025 before getting released on May 31st.

After retiring thereafter, he came on AJ Pierzynski's Foul Territory podcast in July and was rather vocal on the lack of Rangers clubhouse leadership citing that "everyone was doing their own thing," and he was "looking for more of a way to get in that inner circle and that comes through stretching and BP where you talk about things that aren't baseball and you get to know guys." DLLS Rangers' Abby Jones transcribed the exchange on X (formerly Twitter).

Kevin Pillar speaks on his experience with the Rangers:

"I thought they would be a little bit tighter as a group. I thought it'd be like my experience in Atlanta. Everyone wanted to pull on the same rope, everyone wanted to hangout and do everything together. Winning was the… pic.twitter.com/oGWOMs4crb

— Abby Jones (@_abigaiiiil) July 2, 2025

Pillar compared his time with other teams he played for, thought they [Rangers] "would be a little bit tighter as a group," compared to his experiences playing for the Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays. Those teams Pillar performed with "wanted to hang out and do everything together." This type of camaraderie contributing to winning, which Pillar mentioned "was the most important thing. Everyday."

Pillar’s comments as a 13 year MLB veteran speak volumes, suggesting that the Rangers’ clubhouse lacks the unity and shared purpose typically found on winning rosters. Sure, everyone is different, but winning a World Series takes sacrifices. Sustained winning takes more, which is what the Rangers failed to do after 2023. Incapable of executing wins with the immense talent Texas has on their roster stems from a lack of strong leadership and camaraderie.

Seager Stays, Nimmo Arrives

That absence of team chemistry likely played a role in the reported friction between Seager and Semien down the stretch in the 2025 season. Both appeared to clash rather than put aside their differences and prioritize winning as a collective unit. Maybe the emergence of a new veteran piece in Brandon Nimmo will help change that.