The reason why Rangers must trade Corey Seager at the trade deadline (if he's healthy)

With the latest injury to Corey Seager, which will likely keep him sidelined till after the All-Star break, it's becoming more and more evident that the club needs to explore what life will look like after the 2-time World Series MVP is no longer here.

The organization looks like it will be buyers at the deadline, so the thought of unloading Seager may seem counterintuitive, but hear us out. The Rangers are doing pretty well without him in 2026. Seager has only laced it up in 51 of a possible 89 games this season. In those games, he has accumulated a 1.0 bWAR with a slash of .182/.292/.374. In fact, you could argue that the Rangers are hovering around first place in the AL West despite the efforts of Seager.

With that in mind, it feels like the perfect time to trade Seager and restock the minor leagues or acquire crucial pieces at the deadline. But it has to be this year, because next year, he will become a 10-5 eligible player, which will make dealing him much more difficult.

The Rangers need to deal Corey Seager this year before a trade becomes virtually impossible

Right now, Seager has a partial no-trade clause that allows him to block a deal to eight teams. If he completes this season with the Rangers, he will become a 10-5 eligible player. This means he has played at least 10 seasons in the majors, and the last 5 consecutive seasons with the same team.

If Seager reaches this marker, he will have a full no-trade clause and will have to approve of any trade the Rangers put together. That would seriously hamstring Chris Young and management in their efforts to unload the oft-injured shortstop who can't seem to stay on the active list for more than a few weeks at a time with all his various ailments.

His lack of availability is making life very difficult for the organization and its fanbase, as he is in the middle of a 10-year, $325 million deal that pays him a cool $31.5 million a year through 2031.

If you're Young and assistant GM Ross Fenstermaker, this becomes a critical aspect of a potential Seager trade. They can work freely on a deal with 21 other MLB clubs up until the deadline date of August 3.

The trifecta of Seager's durability issues, hefty contract, and poor 2026 performance means that moving the five-time All-Star won't be easy. With that said, there isn't expected to be much available on the trade market for shortstop-needy teams, and there are clubs with both the need and the financial wherewithal to gamble on Seager bouncing back to his stellar career norms.

Time is of the essence if the team does decide that they want to move on from the 2023 World Series hero. 2023 is also the last time they got a satisfactory return on their investment from Seager. He has not played in more than 123 games since, and played in just 102 last year. This latest trip to the IL will be his third already this season.

If a deal is in the works, it needs to be completed in the next month, because after that, they will have to run any trade by Seager and his agent, the notoriously difficult Scott Boras.

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