MLB insider Joel Sherman on Braves targeting Corey Seager

The Braves have had issues at shortstop for the past four seasons, trying to find an answer to fill the void left by Dansby Swanson when he signed with the Cubs in free agency.

Orlando Arcia had a great first half in 2023 but never provided much after that. Vaughn Grissom struggled both offensively and defensively. Nick Allen couldn’t hit, and Ha-Seong Kim was one of the biggest free agent busts in Braves franchise history.

It remains one of the few places Atlanta could look to massively upgrade its roster, and MLB insider Joel Sherman believes the Braves could revisit talks with the Rangers surrounding All-Star shortstop Corey Seager.

.@Joelsherman1 mentions the Braves' past interest in acquiring Rangers’ shortstop Corey Seager https://t.co/ILX5O0cO5q pic.twitter.com/bDpoyiYJkZ

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) October 9, 2026

Last year at the Winter Meetings, it was reported by Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News that the Braves were one of several teams in contact with the Rangers about a potential move for Seager.

“The question is whether the club has any interest in furthering discussions,” Evan Grant wrote. “According to two people with knowledge of the conversations, several deep-pocketed teams, including the Boston Red Sox, have noted the Rangers’ financial approach to the winter and have expressed interest in Seager this offseason. While the Rangers have noted the interest and haven’t explicitly said he’s unavailable, they haven’t engaged in deeper discussions.

“Other teams that have inquired include Atlanta and the New York Yankees.”

The Rangers ultimately decided to run it back in an attempt to return to the playoffs — a venture that failed, as they couldn’t even win the lousy AL West, which could prompt them to be more aggressive sellers this offseason.

However, the return Texas gets isn’t likely to match what it would have received a year ago. Corey Seager will be 33 years old next season. He’s had more than his fair share of injury concerns over the years, missing 60 games in each of the last two seasons, and is coming off a campaign in which he recorded the lowest OPS (.736) of his entire career. Now factor in that he’s still owed $31.5 million in each of the next five seasons, and nobody is going to take on all of that money and send the Rangers top prospects too.

The return will likely depend on how much of that contract Texas is willing to eat. If the Braves wanted to take on all or most of the money, they probably wouldn’t have to give up any worthwhile prospects at all. However, Atlanta isn’t normally the type of organization interested in paying players in the twilight of their careers north of $30 million.

The Rangers are undoubtedly a team to watch when it comes to the Braves this offseason. The two sides reportedly had a trade in place at the deadline for Jacob deGrom before he used his no-trade clause to stay in Texas. Those are also conversations that could heat up again if the two-time Cy Young winner has a change of heart.

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