Kyle Seager, Mariners agree to terms to $100 million extension

The Seattle Mariners have agreed to terms with third baseman Kyle Seager to a seven-year, $100 million extension, Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports reports. 

Seager's new contract with the Mariners includes an option for an eight year for $20 million, depending on performance escalators, Passan reports. The deal is pending a physical. Seager has established himself among the best third baseman in baseball. Seager's 5.5 fWAR in 2014 ranked fourth in the majors out of third baseman, only trailing Anthony Rendon, Josh Donaldson, and Adrian Beltre.

Seager was drafted by the Mariners in the third round of the 2009 MLB Draft. He worked quickly through the minor leagues, first appearing in the big leagues in 2011. He was named to his first career All-Star Game this past season, while also winning a Gold Glove. 

Over 654 plate appearances this past season, the 27-year-old Seager hit .268/.324/.454 with 25 homers and 96 runs batted in. He posted a 126 wRC+ and a 127 OPS+, suggesting that he was a better offensive performer (park adjusted) than 26 or 27 percent of all big leagues, depending on what metric you use.

Seager has been a cornerstone with the Mariners, and since being drafted out of UNC, he has been with the club. The homegrown talent in Seattle helped them make a legitimate playoff run in 2014. However, they fell just short of making it. Locking up Seager now will make sure the third base slot is full and full for years to come. Seager, good both offensively and defensively, gets his well-deserved payday.

Seager becomes the fourth player from his arbitration class, after Buster Posey, Freddie Freeman, and Mike Trout, to secure a $100 million payday, Passan tweets. Seager's annual average value sits at about $14.3 million (without the option). He may have commanded more than that through the arbitration process, especially following his All-Star year, but the longterm guarantee likely lured him to sign the deal.

--Devan Fink

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