As Marcus Semien gets closer to a huge free agent contract, a handful of teams are already all that’s left in the pursuit of his services.
Marcus Semien had an MVP caliber season with the Oakland Athletics in 2019 (33 home runs, 92 RBI, 8.4 bWAR). Things didn’t got nearly as well in the shortened 2020 season (.223/.305/.374 slash-line in 53 games) as he headed into free agency, and he wound up settling for a one-year, $18 million deal from the Toronto Blue Jays last offseason. Semien had to prove he was closer to the 2019 version of himself if he hoped to cash in on the free agent market.
The Blue Jays got their money’s worth. Semien moved to second base to accomodate Bo Bichette, and hit 45 home runs with 102 RBI while playing all 162 games. Those 45 homers now stand as the single-season major league record for a primary second baseman.
The free agent class of shortstops for this winter is loaded (Carlos Correa, Trevor Story, Javier Baez, Corey Seager). Semien has somewhat differentiated himself by mostly playing second base this season, and doing so at a high level (11 Defensive Runs Saved, 6.3 UZR).
MLB rumors: Marcus Semien free agent pursuit down to five teams
Semien, a San Francisco native, would reportedly like to re-sign with the Blue Jays or sign with a team on the west coast. The Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers and San Francisco Giants are known to have interest as well.
Based on Semien’s preference to go west if not back to Toronto, that would seem to automatically rule out the Tigers. And they look like a perfect fit for Correa anyway. The Giants gave Brandon Crawford a two-year contract extension in August, so Semien would likely be ticketed for second base again in San Francisco.
So while the free agent chase for Semien is apparently already down to five teams before the World Series even starts, as a practical matter it’s probably down to three teams right now–the Blue Jays, the Mariners and the Rangers.