Inside The Rangers

Rangers Boss Thinks He Knows Why Corey Seager Trade Rumors are Flying

Texas Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young talked about the Corey Seager trade rumors this weekend.
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Texas Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young made it clear again, during an appearance on MLB Network Radio on Sunday, when it comes to Corey Seager trade rumors.

“We are not shopping Corey Seager,” Young said.

It’s the same point he made to The Dallas Morning News (subscription required) and other outlets at the MLB winter meetings after The Boston Globe (subscription required) reported that the Boston Red Sox had checked in with the Rangers on Seager’s potential trade availability. He wasn’t the only player Boston checked in on, either.

The rumors took over the final day of the winter meetings and Young had to spend some time putting them out. During his appearance on MLB Network Radio, he said that several teams have checked in on Seager, even though he is one of the game’s highest-paid position players and is only reaching the fifth year of his 10-year deal in 2026. Young thinks he knows why teams are checking with him on Seager.

Why Teams Are Checking on Corey Seager

During his appearance, Young offered a theory on why he was getting calls on the superstar. It had nothing to do with the Rangers’ dissatisfaction with Seager. He believes it had to do with the high-profile trade Texas made last month, as they shipped Marcus Semien to the New York Mets for outfielder Brandon Nimmo.

“Maybe they thought by trading Marcus that we would be open on Corey,” Young said.

Young has said repeatedly this season that Texas is looking to be competitive while trimming payroll. Between trading Semien and non-tendering four veterans, including Adolis Garcia and Jonah Heim, the Rangers have saved more than $20 million. Some of that is now accounted for in deals with catcher Danny Jansen, along with relievers Alexis Diaz and Tyler Alexander.

Clearly, Young is only willing to trim payroll to a point. He knows he needs Seager to win.

“What I love is that Corey Seager is a great player for the Texas Rangers and our goal is to win a championship,” Young said. “To win a championship you have to have great players.”

Seager is the team’s best hitter. Even in an injury-truncated 2025 in which he only played in 102 games, he slashed .271/.373/.487 with 21 home runs and 50 RBI. In four seasons since he signed his 10-year, $325 million deal with Texas he has slashed .278/.355/.517 with 117 home runs and 303 RBI. He’s hit at least 30 home runs in three straight seasons, been named a three-time All-Star and finished second in AL MVP voting in 2023.

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Matthew Postins
MATT POSTINS

Matthew Postins is an award-winning sports journalist who covers Major League Baseball for OnSI. He also covers the Big 12 Conference for Heartland College Sports.

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