Marcus Semien on Playing for the Oakland A's

Marcus Semien was acquired by the A's in what is one of the best trades the franchise has ever made. Oakland sent Jeff Samardzija and Michael Ynoa to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for Semien, Chris Bassitt, backup catcher Josh Phegley, and Rangel Ravelo following the 2014 season. Semien went through some growing pains defensively, but he put in the work with Ron Washington and turned into a pretty solid defender at shortstop for the A's. This season for Texas he ranked in the 99th percentile among all defenders while manning second base.

His bat also came along as the years progressed and the team in Oakland started to contend. In 2019 he finished third in the AL MVP voting after batting .289 with a .369 OBP and a 139 OPS+. Not a bad return for one season of Samardzija. 

Yet, after the 2020 season Semien was set to hit free agency and A's owner John Fisher didn't feel like Semien, who grew up in the East Bay, was worthy of a free agent deal that was at market value. He also didn't feel that Semien was worth a qualifying offer, which ended up being roughly the amount of money he signed for on a one-year deal with the Toronto Blue Jays at one year and $18 million. In his final season with Oakland he made $13 million. Instead, the A's offered him a $12.5 million deal with $10 million deferred over ten seasons in $1 million installments. 

Now Semien is headed to the World Series as a member of the Texas Rangers, along with another former A in Jonah Heim, who was also traded because Fisher didn't want to spend. The catcher was sent to Texas ahead of the 2022 season, because after Semien rejected their joke of a contract offer, the A's still needed a shortstop. The Rangers had Elvis Andrus, but he was owed $14.25 million. Texas paid $6.25 million of that contract, and the $16.75 million owed to Khris Davis, who was also involved in the deal. 

Heim was named an All Star in 2023. 

At the All Star game in Seattle, I caught up with Semien for a moment and said I had a question about the A's. With all of the relocation news that has been circling around the franchise, it was obvious he didn't want to talk about that situation. The good news was that wasn't that I had planned to ask him about. Instead, I asked him what he thinks about when he thinks about the A's and his time with the franchise.

"I think about playing in my hometown. Having my family watch me at the Major League level for 81 games out of the year. That in itself is rare for Major League players to have that kind of support each and every night. I think about the group of players we had. They're scattered around the league now. People here in this All Star Game. Just the talent in the room. A lot of us weren't quite at the prime of our career, but we were definitely on our way. It was just sad that we couldn't all stay together." 

The game in Seattle included three former A's that were voted in as starters by the fans (Semien, Heim, and Sean Murphy of the Atlanta Braves), plus Matt Olson and Sonny Gray as reserves. Semien and Gray were teammates in Oakland from 2015 when Marcus arrived, until the Trade Deadline in 2017 when Gray was traded to the New York Yankees. 

Semien also admitted that even though he keeps in contact with his former teammates, it was still a special moment to share that field with them in Seattle this summer. 

"Any time you can make it to this game, it means you've done something well in the first half. Especially for the starters, who have been acknowledged by the fans." 

Semien hasn't quite gotten hot this postseason, going 6-for-29 against the Houston Astros in the ALCS with six singles and four walks. Back in 2020 he showed that he can rake in October, going 8-for-15 with a home run, two rbi, and four runs scored in the A's ALDS loss to Houston. 

Maybe he's saving all of his big hits for the World Series. If he is, there will be plenty of people in Oakland--family and fans alike--cheering for him.