No, not 19-year-old Corey Seager, the Dodgers 2012 first round draft pick and MLB.com’s 47th ranked prospect, but his 26-year-old brother Kyle Seager, who just completed his third season in the major leagues as the Seattle Mariners everyday third baseman.

Where on earth did this come from, you ask?

While I purposely try to ignore most of the silly (and seemingly endless) Hot Stove rumors that fill the newspapers, blog sites and even Twitter at this time of year, I couldn’t help but notice this tweet from Fox correspondent Jon Paul Morosi:

Although there is no mention of Kyle Seager in Morosi’s tweet, it is no secret that the Dodgers are in desperate need of an everyday third baseman – at least until Kyle’s younger brother Corey is MLB ready, which is at best one year away and more than likely two years away. And even though the Dodgers have indicated that they would like to bring back free agent third baseman Juan Uribe on a one year or a one + one deal, it would still be a stopgap move and a short-term solution to a long-term problem for the NL West Champs.

Kyle Seager hit .260 with 22 home runs and 69 RBIs for the Mariners in 2013.
(AP photo)

What made Morosi’s tweet even more interesting is that, if you recall, it was rumored last off-season (and just about every off-season) that the Dodgers were shopping outfielder Andre Ethier and that the Mariners had expressed an interest in acquiring him. And even though that rumor never materialized (as is usually the case with most Hot Stove rumors), it is common knowledge that Dodgers GM Ned Colletti and Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik are good friends and have a great working relationship, and are frequently in contact with one another.

With the Dodgers having four All-Star-caliber outfielders currently on their active roster and two more top outfield prospects Down on the Farm in Joc Pederson and Scott Schebler, it is very likely that the Dodgers will trade one (or more) of these six guys and will undoubtedly target a third baseman in return. And while Uribe may be a good short-term solution at third base, acquiring a guy like Kyle Seager would be a great move – especially when you consider that Kyle’s younger brother Corey is a natural shortstop. (Just FYI – Hanley Ramirez’s six-year/$70 million contract expires at the end of the 2014 season, although I anticipate that contract extension talks will occur this off-season).

If the rumors are true, it is conceivable that top Dodgers prospect Corey Seager could one day share the left side of the Dodgers infield with his brother Kyle. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

The biggest hurdle in moving Matt Kemp is, of course, the $128 million still owed to him over the next six years – of which the Dodgers would have to eat a huge portion of and perhaps even all of to move him. But keep in mind that it was Frank McCourt who signed Kemp to his heavily back-loaded eight year/$160 million contract (the largest in franchise history) and not the Guggenheim Baseball Management group. That being said and in spite of the sour taste that the McCourt-Kemp contract may have left for GBM, it is a ton of money (and years) to just walk away from and they may not be willing to do so – not yet, anyway.

The Dodgers are also still on the hook for the $82.5 million owed to Carl Crawford through the 2017 season, not to mention the remaining $69 million owed to Ethier through 2017 (with a $17.5 million club option for 2018 or a $2.5 million buyout). Even National League Rookie of the Year runner-up Yasiel Puig is still owed $26 million through the 2018 season.

Although it is quite probable that the Dodgers will trade one of their current outfielders or top prospects for an established MLB third baseman this off-season, which outfielder it might be and which third baseman they might be after remains anyone’s guess – but acquiring Kyle Seager wouldn’t be a bad thing at all.