The Dodgers’ postseason offense once again went missing in action for the second straight NLDS against a divisional opponent in 2023.
If the Padres’ 3-1 shocker was the trailer in 2022, what Arizona did to my favorite team in sweeping fashion turned out to be a horror movie that seemingly didn’t end.
Hindsight is obviously 20/20 but fans like me wonder to this day just what would have happened if Andrew Friedman bucked up to pay Corey Seager his desired contract.
Seager broke out as 2016 NL Rookie of the Year and has developed into an MVP candidate as a Texas Ranger.
2020’s NLCS and World Series MVP, LA doesn’t have a championship in the Dave Roberts era without the hulking shortstop’s performance over that magical postseason.
Many of Seager’s former teammates at Chavez are watching him dominate the postseason stage from their couches after LA’s front office didn’t deliver his desired price point in the 2022 offseason.
Many remember Seager’s heroics from the bubble championship run but the majority of my memories from Seager’s career are frustration and heartbreak.
I don’t think of Seager’s 2017’s home run off Justin Verlander in Game 2 of the World Series but instead I remember him rolling over to Jose Altuve as the final out in the crushing seven-game series loss.
I remember LA trading for Manny Machado in Seager’s stead due to his elbow injury that forced him out of the entire 2018 playoff run.
Instead of Seager’s fresh bat in the lineup it was Machado who embarrassed himself in his respective final at-bat that sealed a title for the Boston Red Sox at Chavez Ravine once again.
I remember every bat, but especially Seager’s, falling flatter than a deflated balloon to the Nationals as LA collectively broke my heart after their 106-win domination in the 2019 regular season.
Even in 2021 with his looming free agency, I resigned myself to a possible life without Seager after Andrew Friedman dealt for both Trea Turner and Max Scherzer at the trade deadline.
Every part of me said that the move made sense but plenty of Dodgers fans unlike me wished he was still with the team.
Reports all read that Seager wanted to join Texas due to connections with Chris Woodward as the former Dodger third base coach and no state tax for the massive contract he’d earn.
All of those things made sense but what never did to me is why some people thought Seager was some world beater in the postseason outside of 2020.
Seager recorded eight strikeouts in each postseason run outside of 2020 and failed to hit above .237 in any run in addition to that mark.
The injury history and high price tag into Seager’s thirties also remained concerns for me on a potential deal and I thought it was smart to keep Trea Turner instead for 2022.
Now after another poor postseason in LA there aren’t as many excuses after the middle infield remained an issue all season long.
Mookie Betts kicked out to second base to make way for Jason Heyward and David Peralta in the postseason and every single one of their bats failed to impress this playoffs.
Seager meanwhile has picked up where he left off in 2020 as he became the first man to walk five times in a postseason game during his series with the Orioles.
LA’s former top prospect seems all too comfortable in his new home where the Dodgers are now scrambling for options across the board.
Veteran reclamation projects and Gavin Lux’s delayed recovery leave me quite skeptical about the future of LA’s plans especially in the postseason.
Texas has their next superstar face to lead them into the national spotlight only this time they don’t appear likely to move on a la Alex Rodriguez 20 years ago.
In his absence, LA’s options across the board all look like worse options than their former shortstop.
Shohei Ohtani appears a great free agent for the franchise, but continuity with their old shortstop wouldn’t have necessitated the move.
Even if 2020 appeared fluky in all senses of the word, the memories from that championship run largely washed away sins of years past.
All those complications lead me to but one conclusion for that question.
Seager should’ve retired a Dodger. Plain and simple.
Dodgers Fans Believe Seager Should Have Stayed in LA
A poll ran recently on X.com (formerly Twitter) shows that the overwhelming majority of fans also believe Seager should have remained in Dodger blue.
Where do you stand? Should the Dodgers have ponied up an extra $30-40 million to keep him in LA? Sound off in the comments below.
Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
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