Last September Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti was very high on Dodgers top shortstop prospect and 2012 first round draft pick Corey Seager – and with good cause. At the tender age of 18 years old, the Kannapolis, North Carolina native and younger brother of Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager excelled with the Rookie League Ogden Raptors. His rapid progression continued in 2013 when he dominated the Low Single-A Midwest League with the Great Lakes Loons leading to his promotion to the Advanced Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes late in the season – still at only 19 years old. And though Seager struggled a bit at the higher level (.169/.246/.320), he still hit four home runs and collected 14 RBIs in the 27 games in which he appeared with the Quakes – good enough to earn a trip to the prestigious Arizona Fall League.

“If it was today he’d probably start out at High-A and move to Double-A at some time during the (2014) season,” said Colletti about the now 20-year-old shortstop prospect last September. “Corey’s got a chance to be a great player.”

Although no one in the Dodgers organization has come right out and said it, there is speculation that Seager is the heir-apparent to Hanley Ramirez – not as a shortstop but as a third baseman. It has been rumored that Ramirez, who is in the final year of his inherited six-year/$70 million contract, is in negotiations for a contract extension with the Dodgers and that a big part of the negotiations involve his willingness to move over to third base – a move that could happen as early as 2015 if 34-year-old Juan Uribe struggles offensively, as he did in 2011 and 2012.

But that was then and this is now.

Even though nothing has changed regarding the likelihood that Seager will begin the 2014 season at Rancho and will probably end up at Chattanooga, or that he will probably become “…a great player,” the circumstances surrounding his short-term and perhaps even his long-term future within the Dodgers organization changed significantly on October 22, 2013 when the Dodgers signed 27-year-old Cuban shortstop Alex Guerrero to a four-year/$28 million contract. According to Colletti, the Dodgers plan is to convert Guerrero into a second baseman with hopes that he will fill that position on an everyday basis.

“We still have questions at second base,” said Colletti during a January 10, 2014 press conference. “If you’re going to put who’s leading the pack today Alexander (Guerrero) is that player.”

Heading into spring training, Alex Guerrero is the favorite to land the Dodgers everyday second baseman job. (Photo credit – Jon SooHoo)

How does this affect Corey Seager’s future with the Dodgers? Perhaps not at all if Guerrero makes the transition from shortstop to second base without any significant problems. And even if Guerrero struggles, there is still the possibility that Seager might be converted to second base, although this seems a bit of a long shot.

But that was then and this is now.

On Saturday, the Dodgers signed yet another Cuban player who is yet another shortstop – 23-year-old Erisbel Arruebarrena. But unlike with Guerrero and Seager, Colletti gave no indication that there are any plans (yet) to move Arruebarrena away from his natural shortstop position, thus suggesting that the Ramirez move to third base is inevitable – if he signs a contract extension with the Dodgers, that is.

As recently as a week ago, signing Ramirez to a contract extension before opening day was thought to be a foregone conclusion, but with the Arruebarrena signing there is now a strong possibility that it may not happen at all. When you consider that Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter is planning to retire at the conclusion of the 2014 season and with the uncertain future of suspended Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, the Yankees will most likely be in need of a shortstop and a third baseman. Such a situation could be very appealing and tempting for the 30-year-old Ramirez and may cause him to hold off signing a contract extension with the Dodgers and opt for free agency instead – this in spite of Hanley’s recent claim that he wants to be “…a Dodger for life.” Such a possibility could be the very reason why the Dodgers signed Arruebarrena to a five-year/$25 million deal.

Perhaps an even bigger reason for the Arruebarrena signing are concerns over Hanley’s ability (or inability) to stay on the field – a gamble at best when you consider that he will probably be seeking a four-year/$80-$100 million deal. But in the (paraphrased) words of Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis, Ramirez is the leading candidate to win NL MVP honors in 2014 if he stays healthy and if he plays 130-140 games. It’s safe to say that you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who would disagree with A.J.’s assessment of Ramirez.

It goes without saying that if the Dodgers are unsuccessful in their attempts to re-sign Ramirez, Corey Seager once again becomes the most likely heir-apparent to become the Dodgers everyday third baseman. A good indication as to whether or not the Dodgers are thinking along these lines will be where Seager works out when the Dodgers minor leaguers report for spring training camp next week.

Stay tuned…