December 3rd, 2021 at 8:00 am 
by Jayann Kellogg It hasn’t been easy being a baseball fan lately; more specifically, being a Dodgers fan.
With a flurry of off-season free agents signings before MLB owners locked out the players on Wednesday evening, there has been considerable heartbreak among the Dodgers faithful.
Without question, 27-year-old free agent shortstop Corey Seager leaving the Dodgers for a 10-year/$325 million contract (which includes a limited no-trade clause) with the Texas Rangers was arguably the biggest heartbreak for many Dodgers fans.
Losing such a solid and talented player is never easy, but Seager will not be walking into the Rangers’ clubhouse without any friends. Instead, he will be joining former Dodgers third base coach and current Rangers manager Chris Woodward, former Dodgers hitting coach Tim Hyers, and former Dodgers offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker, all of whom Seager worked closely with as Dodgers coaches.
But wait, there’s more!
As if losing your former 2016 National League Rookie of the Year, two-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger, 2020 NLCS, and 2020 World Series MVP shortstop wasn’t shocking enough for Dodgers fans, they also lost extremely popular 37-year-old right-hander Max Scherzer to the New York Mets on Wednesday. Scherzer’s three-year/$130 million deal with the Mets has an Average Annual Value (AAV) of $43.3 million per season, the highest AAV in the game’s 152-year history.
Needless to say, there is a tremendous amount of pressure on the shoulders of the three-time Cy Young Award winner, eight-time All-Star, 2019 World Series Champion, and future first-ballot Hall of Farmer’s shoulders to perform well for his new team.
“The pressure is a privilege, not a problem,” Scherzer told reporters during his Zoom Mets introductory press conference on Wednesday afternoon.
Also, needless to say, in addition to being angry or sad (or both), Dodgers fans were also quite active on various social media outlets.
Players come and players go, and the hearts of fans are often broken with free agency being what it is today in our National Pastime … at least until they find a new favorite player to follow that has that special something for them. Unfortunately, sometimes that new favorite player never comes.
But no worries – there is always that one thing instilled in every baseball fan:
‘For The Love of the Game.’
Let’s Play Ball!
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Exactly! And, fans may soon have another heartbreaker. According to reports, Seager is trying to persuade Clayton Kershaw to join him in Texas.
Losing Seager will one day be viewed as one of the biggest mistakes in the history of the Dodgers, right there with allowing Adrian Beltre to leave.
Friendly disagreement.
Belter was overpayed by about 30 percent by the Mariners.
He was projected at about 10 mil for 5 and got 13. Dodgers spent a lot more than that extra 3 mil trying to replace Belter for yrs.
Trea Turner is already in place to replace Seager. With CT3 back in the fold I see the following:
1 Trea replaces Seager.
2-Gavin Lux has very productive season at 2b.
3-Belly produces his 258 30hr 95 rbi
Type season.
4-dh in the NL dodgers bring in power bat to DH.
With all of the above Seager may not be missed at all.
Dodgers Need SP help.
If Bauer pitches for the Dodgers the big 3 is in place.
Not sure what data you are using to determine that Beltre was overpaid by M’s, but according to Fangraphs player value calculation, Adrian’s value far outdistanced what he was paid during his time in Seattle.His WAR by year: 2005 – 2.4; 2006 – 4.6; 2007 – 2.9; 2008 – 3.9; 2009 – 2.2. Dodgers would have dearly loved to have that production during that period from its assorted third basemen.
Trea Turner is a good replacement for Seager, but has said in the past that he would not sign with a West Coast team, preferring to play on East Coast, close to his home. And, it is likely that Turner will want a contract for roughly the same AAV as Seager — look for him to leave after 2022. If the Dodgers had re-signed Seager they could have traded Turner for pitching help.
IMO, Lux’s defense has forced him into the outfield.
I hope you are right about Bellinger, but right now that is just a wish.
I will add, that the team does not have a shortstop in the minors who projects to hit anywhere close to Seager.
IMO, Dodgers dropped the ball by not signing Seager much earlier to an extension.
Dodgers tried to resign Seager earlier. Made an 8 year $250M offer in spring training. Boras most likely nixed that deal getting done.
Team loyalty and commitment are not in Scott Boras’ vocabulary. They don’t call him ‘Baseball’s Antichrist’ for nothing. It is indeed ALL about the money for Boras and his clients.
That is what has been reported, and no one has denied the report. My guess, the Dodgers decided to trade for another shortstop when that offer was turned down. I have a gut feeling (no evidence to support) that Seager preferred to sign with another team. Why? I can only guess, but it might be related to Dodgers batting coaches and their desire to have him take more pitches. Personally, I am disappointed that Seager is gone.
Even if Lux is the DH and CT3 plays a lot of 2b the Dodgers offense is not an issue.
Trea Turner might like LA now and these players all follow the money.
Bellinger will be back to his average next yr after healing from multiple injuries.
Agree 100%, Dodgers offense is not a worry (unless Max Muncy’s UCL injury is a significant complication).