CHICAGO -- The gray whiskered from Kyle Seager’s thinly-trimmed beard, which enveloped a slowly emerging grin as he perched along the dugout railing at Guaranteed Rate Field. He’d just been asked about his latest accomplishment -- reaching 10 years of Major League service time -- and how much he’s changed as a player and person since Day 1.

“I got a lot more gray,” Seager quipped. “I've lost a lot of hair on the top of my head. You definitely feel it, right? I definitely feel it in the mornings, that's for sure. But no, it's something that I'm extremely proud of.”

His response underscores that some things never change, such as Seager’s quick-whip, self-deprecating humor. It’s made him a favorite among his teammates through the years, spanning his early years, when he was playing with Ichiro Suzuki and John Jaso, to today, when he shoulders a young corps of players as their leader, a group that he likely won’t share a clubhouse with beyond this season.

The jokes are fast and fun, but beyond Seager’s humor, it’s his blue-collar work ethic that has earned him unbound respect. It’s also why he’s reached this significant milestone, one that players take very seriously.

Seager is the 14th player in 2021 to accrue 10 years of service, according to the MLB Players Association, and he’s only the fourth this season to reach this milestone with one team, joining the Giants’ Brandon Belt and Buster Posey and the Royals’ Danny Duffy.

Service time accounts for how many days a player spends on an active 26-man roster or the injured list. It might sound like a transactional term, which it is, but it carries significance to players and teams alike because it’s used to determine when players are eligible for arbitration, free agency and more. When a player reaches the 10-year mark, he is fully vested in the MLB pension program.

Basically, it’s a big deal, made even bigger that Seager reached this point solely in Seattle.

“You have to take care of yourself. You have to kind of do things right, and I’ve been proud of myself that I've been able to be somebody that they would put in the lineup every single day,” said Seager, who has played in more games (1,398) than any player since his debut other than Carlos Santana (1,442) and Eric Hosmer (1,419).

“And that's kind of always been the goal. That's part of that whole being a professional, and then also, you want to be somebody that they can depend on. You almost want to be taken for granted in that sense, that, ‘You're going to put me out there and I'm going to hit these certain areas, and let’s go,’ and that you’re going to be one you don't have to worry about. So that's definitely one of the one things over these 10 years I'm definitely most proud of.”

Seager still believes he has a lot left in the tank, too. Though his bat has lagged some compared to years past -- he entered Saturday hitting .216/.281/.415 with a 93 wRC+ (league average is 100) -- he’s been worth 1.2 wins above replacement, per FanGraphs. But he also offers so much intangibly, especially as a leader.

“How he works his butt off each day, day in and day out, it’s incredible to see that routine he has,” shortstop J.P. Crawford said. “How he goes about each day and he remains so humble about it -- it's insane. He’s one of the greatest human beings ever.”

So, what’s next?

The Mariners hold a $15 million club option on Seager for 2022, though given that he’ll turn 34 this offseason and that the club is in Year 3 of its rebuild, it’s hard to envision a world where Seager returns next season. Even he recognizes that.

In a reflective mood given the context of the conversation, Seager spoke about his desire to win, which has been steadfast from the very beginning.

“You want to play for something that's bigger than yourself,” Seager said. “You want to do something that's special. You think about the postseason and stuff, and it's my 11th season and I’ve obviously never experienced that. Then I go home every winter watch [my younger brother] Corey get to do it. So, I mean, there's definitely jealousy.

“I want to play for something bigger than necessarily a rebuild. You want to play for something bigger than that. I remember when I signed up with the Mariners, that was always the thing. I remember Willie Bloomquist years ago told me how just starved the city of Seattle is for winning baseball, and how if you're part of that group that does it, how just amazing it'll be. And he’s exactly right.”

The Mariners are three games above .500 -- “playing good ball,” in Seager’s estimation -- but a lot will need to continue to go right for them to march to October. Seager is along for the ride for now, but how long that ride will last could be dwindling for one of Seattle’s all-time greats.

That’s what make milestones such as Saturday’s all the more special.