David Schoenfield, ESPN Senior Writer 9y

Mariners make wise investment in Seager

Back in the 2009 draft, the Seattle Mariners drafted University of North Carolina star Dustin Ackley with the No. 2 pick. He was supposed to develop into a franchise-type player, the kind of guy who would compete for batting titles.

That hasn't happened, but in that draft the Mariners also selected Ackley's less-heralded teammate in the third round. Kyle Seager has become the star and has agreed to a seven-year, $100 million contract that includes an eight-year option.

You might not view Seager as a $100 million player, but he's one of the most underrated players in the game, putting up good offensive numbers in a tough park and improving each season he's been in the majors. He's worth this kind of contract, which takes him through three seasons of arbitration eligibility and buys out four years of post-free-agency years. Compare Seager's past three seasons with those of Pablo Sandoval, who reportedly has agreed to a five-year, $90 million contract with the Boston Red Sox as one of the most sought-after free agents this offseason:

Seager: .262/.329/.434, 118 OPS+, 12.3 WAR

Sandoval: .280/.335/.424, 116 OPS+, 8.2 WAR

Yes, Seager lacks Panda's October heroics, but he's been the more valuable regular-season performer. Seager is also coming off his best season, hitting .268/.334/.454 with 25 home runs. His improved defense led to his surprise Gold Glove win (he had plus-10 defensive runs saved) and was valued at 5.8 WAR via Baseball-Reference.com, 10th among American League position players. He's been durable in his first three seasons, averaging 158 games per year. The only nitpick is that there's room for improvement against left-handed pitchers; he hit .242/.291/.370 against them in 2014.

The contract starts with Seager's age-27 season and takes him through his age-33 season, so the Mariners shouldn't be overpaying for a past-his-prime player in the latter years of the deal. Importantly for the Mariners, Seager is one of the few guys who has proved he can hit in Safeco Field. Along with Felix Hernandez and Robinson Cano, he becomes the third long-term core piece for Seattle.

Looks like a good deal for the Mariners.

And I don't think Seager will have a problem with a $100 million contract.

* * * *

What's next for the Mariners? They had been rumored to be in on Hanley Ramirez; they could have signed him to play shortstop and then traded Brad Miller or Chris Taylor. They're desperate for a big right-handed bat for outfield or 1B/DH, which leaves a few options if they want to go "big":

(A) Free agent Nelson Cruz;

(B) Free agent Melky Cabrera (a switch-hitter);

(C) A Justin Upton trade;

(D) A Red Sox trade -- Yoenis Cespedes or Mike Napoli;

(E) Cuban free agent Yasmany Tomas.

You'll hear names like Taijuan Walker and Hisashi Iwakuma thrown out t here. Trouble is, right now the Mariners don't have rotation depth to deal from. The rotation would line up as Hernandez, Iwakuma, James Paxton, Walker and Roenis Elias. Paxton and Walker both had injury issues last year and Elias missed a start late in the season with a sore elbow. Walker is unproven. Elias had a so-so rookie year. I just don't see them trading Iwakuma with so much uncertainly in the 3 through 5 spots, so that leaves Walker as the most likely trade bait; but the Mariners aren't giving him up for one year of Upton, Cespedes or Napoli (all impending free agents), so those deals would have to be expanded in some form.

Anyway, it's nice to lock up Seager, but Jack Zduriencik still has a lot of work ahead of him.

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