Marcus Semien bet on himself by signing a one-year, $ 18 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays for the 2021 season. After finishing among the top three MVPs, he turned that contract into a pillow. into a salary of $ 175 million.

According to to Robert Murray of Fanside.com, Semien has entered into a long-term deal with the Texas Rangers. ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan reports that the contract is worth $ 175 million in total over a seven-year contract for the veteran infielder.

Marcus Semien’s deal with the Texas Rangers is seven years and $ 175 million, a source close to the deal told ESPN.

– Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 28, 2021

The deal is the second-biggest free agent deal in Rangers history, just behind Alex Rodriguez’s 10-year monster pact worth $ 252 million in 2000. The Semien deal is a huge hit. average annual value of $ 25 million per season.

He ended his 2021 campaign with a third place in the AL MVP vote; he received a Gold Glove award, a Silver Slugger, named All-Star, and he was named to the 2021 All-MLB team.

Semien couldn’t have positioned himself better after finishing the 2020 regular season with some of the worst numbers of his career. However, he activated in the playoffs, hitting 0.533 in the 2020 ALDS against the Houston Astros.

While the Blue Jays would have liked the veteran infielder to return to help frame this young core, seven years and $ 175 million was probably a little too high for their liking. Toronto fans can at least take comfort in the fact that the 31-year-old hasn’t signed with a division rival like the New York Yankees or the Boston Red Sox.

Semien returns to the American League West, where he spent six seasons as a member of the Oakland Athletics. He finished in the top three MVP votes during his 2019 season with track and field, where Semien played all 162 games on the calendar.

He did the same with the Blue Jays in 2021, preparing for every game on the calendar last season. The California native is one of the few remaining Iron Men in MLB, who misses only a handful of games each year (if ever).

Semien was an integral part of the Blue Jays roster in 2021 and set a new MLB record with 45 home runs as a second baseman. Semien’s new contract eclipses the Blue Jays’ previous six-year franchise record of $ 150 million for outfielder George Springer.

Going back to the Blue Jays would probably have given him a better shot at winning a World Series title in the near term, but Semien joins a rebuilding Texas Rangers team that finished last in the AL West in 2021 with a 60 record. -102.

With just $ 94 million in payroll in 2021 and with around $ 50 million on the books for the 2022 season before this deal, the Rangers have a lot of money to spend on free agency. They just made a big statement signing one of the best infielders on the market.