Hand to Head, Scratch

If reports are correct, ex-White Sox infielder Marcus Semien has signed a seven-year, $175-million deal with the Rangers. Good for Semien, by all accounts a very decent human being, less so for the Rangers and MLB. A few more deals like this, and owners will be pleading for a hard salary cap. Stop me before I sign again. Semien turned 31 in September. There aren’t many older players starting at second base; all I could find were Eduardo Escobar (32) and DJ LeMahieu (33), both of whom played more games elsewhere. Where does Semien play in three years? It won’t be shortstop, where he proved to be a better second baseman. Third? OK, but how many 34-year old third basemen are there? First? Probably, assuming he keeps putting up big power numbers. DH? Only if he wants to. (See Eloy Jimenez.) The Rangers have a new stadium they want to fill; they figure Semien will help them do that. Only he’s a career .256 hitter who in nine seasons has batted over .261 just once (.285 in 2019). Me. I would’ve overpaid for three years, four tops, but that might have been impossible given how Scott Boras is Semien’s agent. Then I do without. But I don’t own or general manage a team. Too bad those people who do keep making decisions they’ll come to regret.