Report: Rangers, Semien agree to 7-year, $175M megadeal
The Texas Rangers and infielder Marcus Semien agreed to a seven-year, $175-million deal, a source told ESPN's Jeff Passan.
Texas was in the market for a starting shortstop after a rough 2021 campaign that saw it finish last in the American League West with a 60-102 record. Isiah Kiner-Falefa received most of the reps at the position last season.
The Rangers have been linked to free-agent shortstop Trevor Story throughout most of the winter, and it appears they're still interested in the Texas native. The club has also been in contact with Javier Baez, Corey Seager, and Carlos Correa, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman.
The Rangers aren't done. Even though they got Marcus Semien, they're still in the Trevor Story sweepstakes. They went into this winter with money to spend, they got a whole lot better with Semien and now they're targeting more offense as well as starting pitching.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 28, 2021
Semien is willing to play second base if the Rangers sign another shortstop, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.
The 31-year-old Semien finished third in 2021 American League MVP voting after hitting .265/.334/.538 with 45 home runs, 102 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases for the Toronto Blue Jays.
It was the second time Semien finished third for AL MVP in three seasons, doing the same in 2019. He slashed .285/.369/.522 with 33 homers and 92 RBIs that year for the Oakland Athletics.
Along with his contributions at the plate, Semien is also a plus defender at both short and second, winning a Gold Glove at the keystone for the Blue Jays last season when he recorded 11 defensive runs saved.
His 6.7 UZR ranked fifth among big-league shortstops in 2019.
Semien drew significant interest this offseason, including from the New York Yankees. However, the Bronx Bombers weren't willing to give him a seven-year deal, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman.