Yankees may have just learned Corey Seager trade fate after Mets-Rangers blockbuster

On Sunday night, during a full slate of football, MLB forcefully inserted itself into the sports discourse when the New York Mets and Texas Rangers agreed to a blockbuster trade. You were hoping for the Yankees to be the other New York team available in this, weren't you?

The Rangers are reportedly sending second baseman Marcus Semien to Queens in exchange for veteran outfielder Brandon Nimmo in what we would call ... a fair swap? Two expensive players addressing the needs of each roster? This is the stuff fans love to see.

With all of the trade rumors/chatter surrounding shortstop Corey Seager, baseball fans were certainly surprised to see Semien's name, but perhaps everybody should've known better. If there was any sort of salary dump deal to be had, Semien was probably atop that list for Texas.

So what does this mean for the Yankees and their hypothetical Seager trade? Well ... it's not entirely clear. As of this moment, the Rangers were actually taking on more money in the trade. We are awaiting further updates, but Texas is inheriting $101.25 million remaining on Nimmo's contract while they are offloading $72 million of Semien's money.

At the very least, we can see the Mets sending over a few bucks (spoiler alert: they did, $5 million) to even this out if the Rangers wanted to save more in the short term. But this means one of two things: either the Rangers just paved the way for them to trade Seager for other major league assets to revamp their roster and content in 2026, or they're going to keep him, add minimal salary, and hope this swap puts them in a better position.

Yankees Rumors: Mets-Rangers trade impacting possible Corey Seager deal?

In regard to the Rangers' financial situation, this lowers their payroll on an annual basis. Semien's AAV against the luxury tax is $25 million vs. Nimmo's $20.25 million. So, technically, they're saving $4.75 million per year for the next three seasons.

Is that enough flexibility for what they're searching for, though? Seager's $31.5 million is a much heftier number, but Texas also has Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi as attractive, high-paid trade assets. Parting with Seager would strip them of their identity given they'd have nobody of influence under contract beyond 2027.

The final ruling? It definitely tilts in the direction of Seager staying put this offseason, but we'll need to see more of what the Rangers plan to do this offseason. That also means the Yankees, if they were ever interested in trading for Seager, just got put in a holding pattern as Texas continues to reshape their future outlook.

That said ... maybe this increases the chances of an Evoaldi or deGrom trade for the Bombers so they don't have to invest long-term in a starter they don't entirely believe in? That would also give New York short-term flexibility with the two right-handers hitting free agency after 2027.

Whatever the case, this seems to be setting the stage for an epic Winter Meetings.