The long-anticipated lockout that went into effect came on the heels of several top free agents signing contracts ahead of the collective bargaining agreement expiring. Corey Seager’s 10-year, $325 million deal with the Texas Rangers was the largest in terms of total value.
The contract reportedly is front-loaded as Seager will receive $140 million over the first four years. The 27-year-old also won’t be subject to paying any state income tax, which is one of the biggest advantages Texas had over other teams.
All of this considered, the Los Angeles Dodgers reportedly didn’t come close to matching the Rangers’ offer to Seager.
During a recent episode of the “Big Time Baseball” podcast, Jon Heyman of MLB Network revealed L.A. attempted to keep the star shortstop but offered him a contract that included over $70 million in deferrals:
“The Dodgers really wanted to keep him and they were willing to go pretty far to keep him. My understanding is they would’ve made an offer, and maybe perhaps they did of $300 million or more, but with deferrals. Kind of like they did with Betts. They gave him $365 million, but a lot of deferrals so the actual value, I had it coming in at $292 (million). At least that’s what I was told.”
Deferred payments are common in massive deals such as the one Seager signed. The Dodgers occasionally structure these types of contracts and most recently did so with Mookie Betts’ historic 12-year extension.
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman explained the logic behind this strategy a few years ago, noting the long-term benefits of spreading out money over a long period of time.
Turner sees positives and negatives in Seager signing with Rangers
While it was always unlikely the Dodgers would be able to re-sign each of their marquee free agents, Justin Turner had mixed feelings on Seager leaving the team.
“Obviously watching him develop and turn into the player that he’s become was pretty special for me playing for six years to the right of him,” Justin Turner said of Seager.
“You know it’s a possibility in free agency, but you don’t really think it’s going to happen until it happens. It’s bittersweet. It sucks that I’ve probably played my last game with him, and at the same time you’re excited for him to take advantage of the free agency market and set himself up for the rest of his life.
“I think bittersweet is probably the perfect way to put it.”
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