Texas Rangers ink Marcus Semien, still in hunt for Trevor Story
FanSided’s Robert Murray reported on Sunday afternoon that the Texas Rangers and free agent infielder Marcus Semien have agreed to a contract that will be for seven years.
Semien, 31, was one of the top free agents on the market in a market that is flooded with some great shortstops, including Semien, Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, Trevor Story, and Javier Báez, but he is the first of the five to sign this offseason. Overall, Semien was ranked as the #6 free agent this offseason by MLB Trade Rumors. They also predicted that he would get a six-year deal worth $138 million, for an average annual value (AAV) of $23 million.
It had been reported previously that Semien wanted to sign before the CBA expires on Wednesday night.
The Texas Rangers landed infielder Marcus Semien on a seven-year deal and could still be in the hunt for Trevor Story
The financial terms of the agreement between the Texas Rangers and Marcus Semien are reported to be $175 million over seven years. That’s an Average Annual Value (AAV) of $25 million.
Rangers GM Chris Young said earlier this offseason that the club was looking to return to the payroll that the team had in recent years, which was roughly $150 million. That would mean that Semien would only be one-fifth to one-quarter of the team’s total offseason expenditures.
Depending on their other trades and/or signings, the Rangers will likely use Semien either at second base or shortstop and be one of their middle-of-the-order bats. Could Trevor Story be part of the new-look middle infield for the Rangers?
The Rangers aren't done. Even though they got Marcus Semien, they're still in the Trevor Story sweepstakes. They went into this winter with money to spend, they got a whole lot better with Semien and now they're targeting more offense as well as starting pitching.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 28, 2021
For the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021, Semien hit 45 homers and had 102 RBI while hitting .265/.334/.538 with an OPS+ of 133. He was an All-Star, came third in AL MVP voting (behind teammate Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. and MVP-winner Shohei Ohtani), and won both a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Award.
dark. Next. The Rangers have been in contact with Clayton Kershaw
If the Rangers sign others on the free agent market as they have said they have hinted (and as ESPN’s Jeff Passan also just reported), the Texas Rangers could be one of the biggest winners of the offseason.