As Marcus Semien heads to the Toronto Blue Jays after six years with the A’s, we have to wonder why his former team couldn’t agree on a deal to bring him back. Especially after knowing the A's made it clear they wanted a reunion.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported, citing sources, what Semien was offered by the A’s: A one-year, $12.5 million deal with $10 million deferred in 10, one-year installments of $1 million each.
Semien’s offer with the Jays is a one-year, $18 million deal and he will be moving to second base. This also was after the A’s declined to make Semien an $18.9 million qualifying offer at the beginning of the offseason.
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Semien finished third in AL MVP voting in 2019. He led the league with 747 plate appearances and started in all 162 games, while slashing .285/.369/.522 with 33 home runs.
This left a bad taste in the mouths of those who still remain on the A's, including stars Matt Chapman and Matt Olson, but Rosenthal reported, citing sources, the A’s do not have plans to trade the two anytime soon. That’s the good news, however, without extending someone like Semien, who is a pillar in the Oakland community, it creates a bad omen for the future of the team.
RELATED: Five potential Marcus Semien replacements for A's to play shortstop
Tommy La Stella made an impact on the A's after Oakland acquired him, via trade, from the Los Angeles Angels before the trade deadline. A’s brass made it clear one of their main goals was to try and find a way to bring La Stella, who struck out only 12 times last season, back to the A’s. His three-year deal with the San Francisco Giants reportedly is worth $19 million.
Oakland Athletics
Replacing Semien appears to be in the hands of internal options. Vimael Machin and Nick Allen could be the frontrunners at shortstop. The top remaining free-agent shortstop currently is Didi Gregorius, and he likely is out of the A’s price range.