3 shortstop-needy teams that could help Rangers escape their Corey Seager conundrum

Texas Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young made it clear he plans for Texas to be competitive next year. Young also said the team's 2027 payroll will be "very similar" to this year's, all but confirming that the Rangers will look to trade aging veterans on large contracts, according to The Dallas Morning News' Evan Grant. That means the Rangers will likely strongly consider dealing veteran shortstop Corey Seager, who is owed $157.5 million over the next five years.

One hurdle for the Rangers if they want to trade Seager is that he has a full no-trade clause. If Seager doesn't want to leave Texas, which is very possible considering he signed a 10-year deal with the team after the 2021 season, the Rangers will be stuck with the veteran. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as Seager is arguably the best shortstop in the game when healthy. However, his injury history and age (32) likely mean the Rangers want to trade him, given the organization's current state. Last season, Seager posted 2.1 fWAR and a 106 wRC+ over just 102 games.

These three teams have the combination of need and resources to take Corey Seager off the Rangers hands

New York Yankees

The Yankees never seem afraid to take on big contracts. For now, George Lombard Jr. appears to be New York's shortstop of the future after making his MLB debut in August, but New York could consider acquiring Seager to play shortstop instead.

New York might also consider acquiring Seager to play third or second base while keeping Lombard at shortstop. Seager is a very good defender, but he might regress soon due to his age.

The Yankees could also shift Lombard Jr. to either of these other positions, as both second and third are areas of need for them, and the 21-year-old has experience playing both in the minor leagues.

However, if the Rangers' main goal is to shed as much of Seager's salary as possible, Young might trade him for pretty much nothing of value. For reference, the Minnesota Twins traded aging star shortstop Carlos Correa to his original team, the Houston Astros, at the 2025 trade deadline for a mid-20s pitcher who hadn't pitched above High-A. That pitcher is no longer playing professionally, and the Twins agreed to pay $33 million of the remaining (roughly) $103.42 million on Correa's contract, even though he is no longer with the team.

Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox are in a similar shortstop situation to the Yankees. Boston has a promising shortstop prospect, Franklin Arias, but the team might want to add a proven veteran at the position. Therefore, the Red Sox could consider dealing Arias to the Rangers for Seager, but only if Texas considers eating a sizeable chunk of the oft-injured star's contract.

But as stated earlier, the Red Sox might be able to acquire Seager for a lower-level prospect if they are willing to pay most of the veteran's remaining contract. Therefore, the Red Sox might be able to keep Arias and get Seager. If the Red Sox acquire Seager, they could play both him and Arias in the infield, or flip Arias to another team for more MLB talent.

Atlanta Braves

The Braves might be the best fit for Seager on this list. Atlanta reportedly reached out to Texas regarding Seager last offseason. The Braves don't have a starting shortstop right now, so there's a strong chance they will reach out to the Rangers about Seager again this offseason.

The Braves don't have a shortstop on Lombard or Arias' level they could offer the Rangers for Seager, but Texas could use 2026 Gold Glove Award winner Ezequiel Duran as its starting shortstop in 2027 if needed. And again, if the Braves are willing to take a large chunk of Seager's remaining contract, they likely wouldn't have to surrender much to acquire him.

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