UNC Baseball: Mariners decline Kyle Seager’s 2022 option

After being the longest-tenured player on the Seattle Mariners roster, it appears that former UNC baseball standout Kyle Seager will be playing elsewhere in 2022.

The Kyle Seager era in Seattle appears to be officially over.

According to Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times, the Mariners have officially informed Seager that they will not be exercising his $20 million option for the 2022 season. In lieu of the decision, the former UNC baseball standout will receive a $2 million buyout, and will test the free agent market.

This decision isn’t surprising by any means, as the writing has been on the wall that Seager’s time with the organization was close to being over.

Over the last few months, there have been reports that there was a rift between Seager and the team’s front office. Dating back to last February, former CEO Kevin Mather was quoted as saying that the former Tar Heel is a good clubhouse leader, but also stated that he’s “probably overpaid.”

You could make the case that the Mariners front office was on the same page as Mather. It has been reported on multiple occasions that president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto had oddly avoided his longest-tenured player, as his contract essentially stifled the team from trading him elsewhere.

Dipoto has worked tirelessly to revamp the Mariners’ roster, and has been no stranger to making trades in an effort to speed up the process. Seager was still around in large part due to a contract stipulation that would have turned his 2022 club option into a player option if he was traded, a clause that most certainly kept other teams away from dealing for the former Tar Heel.

The Mariners haven’t made an official announcement on the move, but they have notified Seager’s representatives of the decision. As per proper league protocol, the Mariners’ front office attempted to contact Seager over the phone, but when that effort was unsuccessful, Dipoto contacted his agency, Jet Sports. Assistant general manager Justin Hollander then formally notified Seager of the buyout via email, which also goes along with the league’s standard procedures.

After being selected by the organization in the third round of the 2009 MLB Draft, the former UNC baseball standout put together a rather impressive 11-year career with the organization. Over his 6,204 plate appearances in a Mariners uniform, Seager posted a slash line of .251/.321/.442 along with 242 home runs. He finishes his time in Seattle near or at the top of many franchise all-time offensive statistical categories.

Now, at 34-years-old, Seager will make his first trip to the free agent market. Although his resume has been rather impressive, the former Tar Heel has seen a dip in production over the last few seasons.

In 2021, Seager posted a slash line of .212/.285/.438. He had a career-high strikeout rate (24%), and whiff rate (29.6%), both of which are disturbing numbers for a guy who has been a consistent contact hitter over the majority of his career. Even though he slugged a career-high 35 home runs, his hard-hit ball rate was also considered below average.

Defensively, the former Tar Heel is still viewed as a solid third baseman. The defensive metrics seem to favor Seager, showing that he still can field the baseball at a high level.

It will be interesting to see what type of market Seager has this upcoming offseason. If the National League adopts the designated hitter rule moving forward, the 34-year-old’s options could expand, given teams will have extra room in their everyday lineup to work with.

Regardless of some of his struggles last season, Seager should have a steady market for his services. He’s a guy who can be brought in to help a contending team get over the hump, but he’s also a guy who can sign with a rebuilding team and use his leadership and big league experience to help groom the future of an organization.

Essentially, Kyle Seager had one heck of a run as a member of the Seattle Mariners organization. But it’s now time for Seager to move on, and find a new home for the foreseeable future.

Continue to follow the Keeping It Heel team for all the latest news and updates regarding Kyle Seager, and the UNC baseball program.