Rangers SS Corey Seager on not facing Jacob deGrom anymore

The Rangers shortstop shares how he felt when he learned Jacob deGrom would be his new teammate, after many battles in the NL.

With the dust settling on a chaotic and record-setting MLB offseason, it can now be noted that the Texas Rangers might have snagged the biggest coup of them all when they signed Jacob deGrom to a five-year, $185 million deal last December. The team also may have bought one of their other top players, Corey Seager, some much-needed peace of mind.

At the team's Fan Fest over the weekend, Seager shared how he felt when he learned that one-time rival deGrom would be his new teammate.

“I'm assuming I was [smiling big], because I probably had the most at-bats against him,” Seager told Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. “He joked ‘Come on, you're telling me you're not going to miss our battles?' Like no, not at all, not even a little bit. But yeah, obviously I’m really excited”

Seager is right about the monumental difference deGrom can make on a pitching staff that has struggled for several seasons. The three-time All-Star was being a bit modest, however, when recalling his history against the deGrominator. In fact, it might be the two-time Cy Young winner who is relieved to not be facing the star shortstop anymore.

Seager boasts a stout .357 battering average in 14 career at-bats against deGrom, according to RotoWire. Seager emerged as a star while on the Los Angeles Dodgers and would face deGrom on occasion when dueling the New York Mets. The past is irrelevant now, though, as the two stars are part of a huge renovation project in Arlington.

The Rangers' Globe Life Field is only a couple years old, so there was plenty of incentive for ownership to make a big splash in free agency to further showcase the billion-dollar stadium. That is exactly what they have done. The Rangers spent $500 million alone last offseason on a middle infield when they brought in Seager and slugger Marcus Semien. Now that the team has added a Hall-of-Fame caliber ace at the front end of their rotation, a new era could officially begin for the franchise.

Seager and deGrom will both need to stay healthy, something that has alluded them at times in their respective careers. They should otherwise be quite the force, especially now that they are working together instead of against each other.