Rangers' Chris Young makes emphatic statement as Corey Seager rumors gain momentum

Since the Rangers have set out to improve their team while shedding payroll this offseason, many have speculated they may be willing to trade star shortstop Corey Seager, who is owed $189 million through the 2031 season, to free some payroll and address other needs on the roster. However, Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young shut down those rumors on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM.

“We are not shopping Corey Seager, I want to make that very clear,” Young said.

Teams have reached out to the Rangers regarding Seager despite Young not actively shopping the star shortstop.

“Maybe they thought by trading Marcus [Semien], we’d be open on Corey….We call and check in on great players with other teams as well.  So teams are doing their job, I get it,” Young said.

Trading Corey Seager would be a massive mistake for Rangers

Dealing Seager wouldn't make any sense for the Rangers, and Young clearly agrees. While the team wants to shed payroll, they also want to win. Due to a lack of offensive production, Texas missed the playoffs last season with an 81-81 record despite having the best ERA (3.47) in the league. Therefore, moving Seager would not be in the team's best interest, as he was clearly Texas' best offensive performer last season, and the offense needs to improve.

Last season, Seager played in just 102 games due to injuries, yet he still managed to post an impressive 6.2 bWAR and .271/.373/.487 (151 OPS+) slash line with 21 home runs and 50 RBI. Despite Seager's remarkable effort, the Rangers' offense finished the season ranked 26th in OPS (.683).

The Rangers have already improved their offense by trading Semien to the New York Mets in exchange for outfielder Brandon Nimmo. Semien has regressed offensively over the past two seasons but has remained a valuable player due to his exceptional defense. But the Rangers' defense is already a strong suit of the team, so deducting a strong defender for Nimmo, who has had an OPS+ above 100 in each of the last nine seasons, was in the best interest of the team.

So if the Rangers are set on improving their team, which means improving offensively, moving Seager would make no sense.