Sam Haggerty was never going to be a Mariner forever. Roles like his always have an expiration date. But some players don't need a decade in one uniform to leave a mark. Some guys give you a summer or two of highlights and chaotic plays. Enough to remember their name when it resurfaces a couple of years later. And that's Haggerty.
The former Seattle Mariners utility man is back in roster limbo after the Texas Rangers designated him for assignment following the returns of Corey Seager and Wyatt Langford from the injured list. Texas reinstated Seager and Langford, optioned Cody Freeman and Alejandro Osuna , then reinstated Haggerty from the bereavement/family medical emergency list and immediately DFA'd him.
Haggerty's 2026 season with the Rangers wasn't great. It was enough for the decision to be understood. He had just seven hits in 44 at-bats, no home runs, one RBI, two stolen bases and a .159/.213/.182 slash line with a .395 OPS, 18 OPS+ and -0.4 WAR. That kind of production is not going to give you protection on the roster.
In his age-32 season, it is fair to wonder whether a team will claim Haggerty or if he will pass through waivers and be outrighted back into the Rangers' system. Or, he could elect free agency.
Mariners fans aren't looking for a reunion here. They can simply appreciate what he contributed to the organization.
In 2022, Haggerty gave the Mariners exactly what every contending team needs but never properly appreciates until it's gone. He played 83 games, hit .256 with a .335 on-base percentage, .403 slugging percentage, .738 OPS, five home runs, 23 RBI, 13 stolen bases and a 116 OPS+.
That was the year Haggerty became more than organizational depth. He was a spark plug. And that's exactly why Seattle fans remember him.
Any good team would sign up for that kind of production from a depth piece. And with Haggerty, there's one play that still feels like the entire lived experience in one clip. On July 14, 2022, at Globe Life Field against the Rangers, he ripped a line drive to center, Leody Taveras couldn't come up with it, and that's when the fun really started. Aaron Goldsmith's "Haggerty can fly" call basically became the perfect soundtrack for one of the most chaotic Mariners highlights of the season.
It was an inside-the-park home run that had just 288 feet of air time. But Haggerty rounded the bases like someone had stolen something from him. It was the 23rd inside-the-park homer in Mariners history and the franchise's first since Willie Bloomquist in 2007.
That was Haggerty in one play. Not the loudest swing. Just speed, chaos and a dugout full of teammates reacting like they knew they had just watched something ridiculous.
Haggerty was part of a fun Mariners season. His best stretch in Seattle made him feel like more than the last guy on the roster. The Rangers' move is a reminder of how quickly the league moves on from players in Haggerty's lane. One year, you are the spark plug. Another year, you are the roster casualty after the stars get healthy. That's not unfair. It's just baseball.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/mariners/onsi as Former Mariners Fan Favorite DFA'd by Rangers After Corey Seager's Return .
