By Tim Booth
The Associated Press
SEATTLE — Kyle Seager has cashed in on the best season of his young career, becoming the third Seattle Mariners player to reach the $100 million threshold.
The third baseman and the Mariners have agreed to a $100 million, seven-year contract, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press today. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal is pending a physical.
The deal also includes a 2022 option.
Seager is coming off his first All-Star game selection and his first Gold Glove. The 27-year-old hit .268 with a career-high 25 homers and 96 RBIs.
Seager was eligible for salary arbitration and would have been eligible for free agency after the 2017 season. He made $540,000 last season and now joins pitcher Felix Hernandez and second baseman Robinson Cano as Mariners with nine-figure contracts.
Yahoo! Sports first reported the agreement. There was no comment from the team.
The Mariners management said it was committed to raising the payroll after the team won 87 games and finished one game back for the AL’s second wild card.
Unlike his first two seasons when there was little protection around him, Seager was no longer asked to be the anchor of Seattle’s batting order. Having Cano in the lineup led to Seager getting better pitches and more opportunities to drive in runs.
It didn’t start that way in 2014. Seager was mired in a significant slump for the first three weeks, turning his struggles around when he hit a winning, ninth-inning homer against Houston on April 23 that stopped Seattle’s eight-game losing streak.
Seager was hitting .156 entering that game. Over his next 73 games leading into the All-Star break, Seager hit .307 with 15 homers and 61 RBIs.
But even when he struggled at the plate, Seager continued to thrive in the field. He made just eight errors in 422 chances, and his .981 fielding percentage was the best among big league third basemen.
