Marcus Semien is one of a handful of Athletics making his third consecutive postseason appearance with Oakland this week.
Semien, 30, hopes it’s not his last in the final year before he becomes a free agent.
“This is home for me,” he said. “I’ve said it before, I love playing here.”
The Athletics open the wild card round today at noon at the Oakland Coliseum against the Chicago White Sox, which drafted Semien in 2011.
Semien and the A’s avoided arbitration in January when the parties agreed to a one-year, $13 million contract. In an agreement made between Major League Baseball and the players’ union, players received about 37 percent of their 2020 pay.
The deal meant Semien would become a free agent after the season. The shortstop probably is in line for an expensive, long-term extension, which could spell the end of his tenure with the budget-conscious A’s.
But he said he is not thinking about next season at the moment.
“Of course you want to know where you’re going to be next year, but the main goal this year for everybody in this clubhouse is to win the World Series,” Semien said. “Anything after that will be handled after that.”
It would mean a lot to Semien, who grew up in the East Bay, to remain near home. Oakland is where he proved he could be an everyday big leaguer after making his Major League debut with the White Sox in 2013, .
“It’s hard to sit there and say, ‘Oh, I want an extension right now,’ when we’re all focused on winning a World Series,” Semien said. “We’ll see what happens.”
But Semien noted he has played in Oakland for six years where he has been able to enjoy the comforts of home.
“I get to sleep in my own bed,” he said.
Starting pitcher Chris Bassitt also is facing his former team. Bassitt was drafted by the White Sox in the 16th round in 2011 out of the University of Akron.
Semien was drafted twice by Chicago, once out of Saint Mary’s College High School in Albany in 2008 (34th round), and the second time out of Cal in the sixth round.
Both players came to A’s in a 2014 trade with the White Sox. The lopsided trade also included catcher Josh Phegley and future St. Louis Cardinal Rangel Ravelo coming to Oakland for pitcher Jeff Samardzija and Michael Ynoa.
Samardzija pitched one season for the White Sox before signing as a free agent with the San Francisco Giants. Ynoa, who has battled injuries and has appeared in only 45 Major League games, re-signed with the A’s in the winter this year.
“I know a lot of those guys over there,” Semien said of the White Sox. “It’s primarily the same coaching staff beside (manager Rick Renteria). It’s going to be a battle, but it’s nice to be at home.”
Semien said the trade was so long ago he and Bassitt will not have an edge on their former teammates.
“But I just feel like it’s the postseason, so of course, there’s an edge to beat whoever we’re facing,” Semien said.
Semien played in 53 of 60 games in the COVID-shortened regular season. He is batting .223 with seven home runs and 23 RBI. He has a career OPS of .747, and was third in American League MVP voting in 2019. Semien had 147 assists and a .967 fielding percentage this year, ranking him fourth and 14th, respectively, among all MLB shortstops.
It is unclear how Semien’s season will impact his upcoming free agency. MLB faces uncertainty because of the financial hit it has taken in a truncated season mostly played in empty stadiums.
Semien said he has not calculated what his next contract might be worth “because nobody knows yet.”
