SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – OCTOBER 03: Kyle Seager #15 of the Seattle Mariners waves to fans after his team’s loss to the Los Angeles Angels 7-3 to end their season at T-Mobile Park on October 03, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
According to the Seattle Times, the Mariners informed third baseman Kyle Seager that they weren’t going to exercise his 2022 option via an e-mail.
The unforgettable 11-year run for star Seattle Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager has come to a close. As expected, the Mariners decided not to exercise Seager’s option for next season, meaning he’ll now be free to sign with a new team.
With that said, the way things ended between Seager and the Mariners could not have gone worse. According to Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times, his sources are telling him that Seager was informed of the club’s decision in an e-mail. That’s right, after 11 years with Seattle, the team decided an e-mail was good enough to officially part ways with him. Fans are furious about this.
Kyle Seager is officially a free agent and is expected to be a top target this offseason
While it’s no secret that Seager and Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto have a rough relationship, the fact assistant GM Justin Hollander took the lead here and didn’t even give him a call feels like a total slap in the face.
Seager has meant so much to the Mariners and the city of Seattle as a whole for more than a decade. When he walked off the field at T-Mobile Park for the last time, the fans in the stands gave him a standing ovation. Seager himself was crying during the emotional moment. There were countless folks letting tears fly from their seats too.
Now, it will be a bit strange for those same fans to watch someone else man the hot corner starting in 2022. Seagear will go down as a Mariners great. The organization really needed to send him out in a more professional and respectful manner than this.