Seattle Mariners to officially move on from Kyle Seager

It was one of baseball’s worst kept secrets. The Seattle Mariners were ready to move on from Kyle Seager, their long time third baseman. Seager was well aware of his situation, as he had not spoken to general manager Jerry Dipoto in years. His final game in Seattle was an emotional affair, as he waved to the crowd after the game and took third base with him.

And now, the other shoe is set to drop. Mariners’ assistant general manager Justin Hollander reportedly e-mailed Seager earlier this week to let him know that his option will not be picked up, although that decision cannot officially be announced until the offseason begins. Dipoto claims that he attempted to reach out to Seager on Wednesday, but notified his representatives of the decision instead.

Kyle Seager and Seattle Mariners officially break up

This move was inevitable. The relationship between Seager and the Mariners had become frosty at best, with both sides seemingly looking forward to the moment when it ended. However, one could imagine that there would have been a bit more civility to that moment than an e-mail.

Seager is now set to make his first foray into free agency. He presents an interesting case, as his .212/.285/.438 batting line in 670 plate appearances, coupled with a career worst 24% strikeout rate, do not exactly inspire confidence that the 34 year old is going to bounce back moving forward.

But there were positives to his performance. He belted a career best 35 homers and drove in over 100 runs for the first time in his 11 years in the majors. Seager also performed reasonably well with the glove in terms of outs above average, even if he was considered to have cost the Mariners three runs at the hot corner.

There are going to be several teams looking for help at third base. Seager, even if he is getting on in years, could still be an asset, providing solid power to the lineup. It just will not happen in Seattle.

The Seattle Mariners and Kyle Seager are moving on from one another. The worst kept secret in baseball is finally out in the open.