The Blue Jays’ marriage of convenience with all-star Marcus Semien doesn’t have to be a one-year stand

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This article was published 13/07/2021 (1590 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Marcus Semien has done a lot to pad his resumé across nine seasons in the major leagues. He’s a former MVP candidate, a two-time Gold Glove finalist, and for three consecutive years he was a driving force in getting the Oakland A’s to the playoffs.

The 30-year-old is generally considered one of the top infielders in the game, the type of player every organization hopes its prospects can become. A leader on the field with his vast experience, and off it as well through his high-up role with the MLB Players’ Association.

The defence is steady and the power ranks among the league’s best. He’s a former all-MLB second-team selection, a focal point of the Blue Jays’ lethal lineup, and this week for the very first time he’s an MLB all-star.

It’s hard to fathom that prior to hitting an infield RBI single against Milwaukee’s Corbin Burnes in the top of the second inning of Tuesday night’s all-star game in Denver, Semien had never experienced any of this before. Even during his MVP-calibre 2019 season, he was passed over for the midsummer classic in favour of Francisco Lindor, Xander Bogaerts and Jorge Polanco.

Nobody would consider snubbing him now. Semien, who finished the American League’s 5-2 victory over the National League 1-for-2 with a walk, arrived as one of just eight second basemen in MLB history with at least 22 home runs before the break. He has more homers than any middle infielder in franchise history over the same span, besting Aaron Hill’s 2009 total by two.

Semien’s 44 extra-base hits rank fifth in the AL, his 98 hits are sixth and he’s third with 67 runs. There isn’t a second baseman with more RBIs than his 56, and Semien’s doing it out of the leadoff spot, where he currently has the third-highest OPS (.863) in Jays’ history behind only Shannon Stewart’s .882 in 2000 and Reed Johnson’s .869 in 2006.

The converted shortstop is having another banner season and he’s about to get rewarded.

After a somewhat disappointing 2020, Semien took a gamble. He declined to seek out multi-year contracts, instead choosing to focus on a one-year deal to re-establish value. He bet on himself and the payout that’s coming will be enough to make even LottoMax winners envious.

Semien’s 4.3 wins above replacement are better than any full-time AL position player, including teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who continued his remarkable season by picking up the all-star game MVP award after going 1-for-3 with a pair of RBIs and a 468-foot solo homer.

Semien is going to be the best second baseman available this off-season or, if he so desires, one of the top shortstops alongside Carlos Correa, Corey Seager and Trevor Story.

The Jays couldn’t have asked for anything more after they handed him a one-year deal worth $18 million (U.S.), about $900,000 less than he would have made if Oakland extended him a qualifying offer at the end of 2020. A Jays team that needed pitching instead doubled down on its offence and Semien has delivered in every possible way.

Whether the relationship extends beyond this season remains to be seen. D.J. LeMahieu, who is two years older, got $90 million from the Yankees this past off-season, so it’s possible Semien could be headed for a nine-figure payday. That’s something the Jays showed a willingness to do with George Springer, but may be reluctant to pursue again with long-term extensions eventually needed for Guerrero, Bo Bichette and potentially even Teoscar Hernandez, who doubled in the fifth inning off Miami’s Trevor Rogers and later scored on an RBI groundout by Guerrero on Tuesday night.

The Jays have the resources to retain Semien if they want to, there’s no debate about that. Rogers Communications can sign just about anyone without making a dent in its bottom line, but there are payroll parameters the front office must operate under and while the executives have carte blanche to spend the allotted money how they see fit, it must be used to address all aspects of the team.

General manager Ross Atkins has about $65 million in guaranteed salaries for next year, plus 11 arbitration cases — Guerrero, Hernandez and Cavan Biggio among them — that will cause that figure to substantially grow. The expiring contracts of note include Tanner Roark ($12 million), Kirby Yates ($5.5 million), Steven Matz ($5.2 million) and Semien ($18 million) for a team that started the year with a payroll around $135 million.

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If the drop in revenue from the pandemic doesn’t deter Rogers, a payroll next year in the range of $145 million to $150 million shouldn’t be out of the question. That could leave upwards of $45 million to $55 million available this winter, after investments of $53.5 million in the winter of 2019-20 and another $75 million last off-season.

That seems like a ton of money until you consider the Jays need to add a couple starters, at least one of which should be a front-line arm, and build the back end of the bullpen almost entirely from scratch. From afar, it would appear at some point the Jays will once again be forced to choose between bringing back Semien or going all-in on pitching and relying on infield prospects such as Austin Martin, Jordan Groshans and Orelvis Martinez to step up.

Earlier this season, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Semien would be a one-season rental. The Jays had some money to spend, no front-line starters to target, and Semien needed a place to play at fair-market value. It was a marriage of convenience, yet one that has worked out so well the two parties owe it to themselves to at least explore the possibility of making it a long-term thing.

It’s far too early to know whether Semien will stick around beyond this year, but — barring a catastrophic injury — one thing we know for sure is that he’s a few months away from striking gold, and if he keeps playing like this the standout middle infielder is going to earn every single penny.

Gregor Chisholm is a Toronto-based baseball columnist for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @GregorChisholm or reach him via email: gchisholm@thestar.ca