When Marcus Semien left the Blue Jays a couple years ago, the assumption was he chose money over having a realistic shot at winning a World Series title.
Few criticized his decision, especially in this city. After emerging as a clubhouse leader and contender for the American League most valuable player award during his lone season with the Jays, most were happy for him. He earned the bag and everything that came with it.
There was no animosity between the player and his former team, nor within its fanbase. Semien鈥檚 stay was never expected to be long, and all parties got what wanted out of the deal. It was a win-win for everyone involved.
There was, however, a bit of smugness to Semien鈥檚 departure. Not from the player鈥檚 side, maybe not even from his former team鈥檚 side, but it certainly existed within the fanbase and through many of those who cover the team.
Nobody blamed Semien for taking $175 million US. It鈥檚 just that every time the contract was brought up it would be followed with a comment about the hapless Rangers who finished 42 games under .500 the previous year. Semien got the money and, well, good luck with everything that came with it.
The insinuation was that finances were the only reason Semien would ever choose a team like the Rangers. In Toronto, the potential seemed endless. In Texas, there was a team that was coming off back-to-back seasons in the AL West basement with little hope of a quick turnaround.
Well, Semien ended up getting the best of both worlds. While the Jays are still looking for their first post-season victory since his departure, Semien is riding high after leading those once-inept Rangers to their first World Series title in franchise history.
What a difference a couple years make.
鈥淚 played well in 海角社区官网and then had a lot more choices, a lot more offers that next year,鈥 Semien said earlier this year during a series against the Jays. 鈥淭his ended up being the one that made the most sense, financially, for my family and from a baseball perspective. Chris Young laid out a lot of his vision and he鈥檚 a new GM. Ray Davis, our ownership, they really trust, so it all sounded really good to me.鈥
It鈥檚 no wonder Semien had such high praise for the Rangers organization long before they went on to defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks in the World Series. The commitment they made to him in December of 2021 went well beyond his original deal and it didn鈥檛 take long for the promises made to become promises kept.
The Rangers didn鈥檛 just acquire Semien two years ago, they signed fellow superstar Corey Seager to an even bigger deal and added starter Jon Gray. Last winter, they brought in starters Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney. Midway through the year, they traded for Max Scherzer, Jordan Montgomery and Aroldis Chapman.
Not all those deals worked out. DeGrom signed for $185 million and yet only made six appearances this season because of injury. Scherzer was limited to just 9 2/3 innings during the playoffs for similar reasons. Chapman was as unpredictable as it gets in high-leverage situations.
But the front office鈥檚 record didn鈥檛 have to be perfect because while the Rangers were busy shopping, their younger players were getting ready to take on bigger roles. Catcher Jonah Heim emerged as an all-star during his fourth season. Third baseman Josh Jung became a candidate for rookie of the year. The once designated-for-assignment Adolis Garcia turned into a star.
Unlike in Toronto, where the core took a step back and couldn鈥檛 match the contributions of recent free agent signings such as Kevin Gausman and Chris Bassitt, the players the Rangers already had in place began to take off. The result was a World Series title 63 years in the making.
鈥淭o be able to start at the bottom and try to build something, compete and be able to do it, it鈥檚 really satisfying,鈥 Seager said during a celebratory news conference. 鈥淚t was a lot of trust from them to me and me to them. A lot of trust for Marcus to come, a lot of trust for Jon. All these guys who came here with the same vision, it鈥檚 pretty cool to see it through.鈥
The Jays were hoping, perhaps even expecting, to achieve similar success by now. During Semien鈥檚 only season, they were viewed as a team on the rise. With a young core in place and money to spend, they had a shot at becoming a dynasty.
At least that鈥檚 what many of us thought. Once Semien departed, the Jays began to stagnate. They went from a 91-win team in 2021, to winning 92 in 2022, before getting swept by the Seattle Mariners in the AL wild card series. This year they dipped to 89 wins and once again failed to do anything in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, the Rangers turned 68 wins into 90. Aside from a September swoon, they spent the bulk of the year as one of the AL鈥檚 top two teams. After going a perfect 11-0 on the road during the playoffs, they became MLB鈥檚 best.
From a Jays鈥 perspective, there鈥檚 something especially cruel about that. Not only are the Rangers a hated rival from the Jose Bautista bat flip era, but they also represent yet another team that has passed them by at a time when they were supposed to be the ones on the way up.
This was the year that the Orioles overtook the Jays as the team of the future in the AL East. It was the year that the trade of Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Gabriel Moreno nearly put the Diamondbacks over the top. And now it鈥檚 also the year that a former Jays leader got his long-awaited ring.
Turns out Semien wasn鈥檛 forced to pick between money and winning after all. He got both, it just happened to be with the Rangers and not the Jays.
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