This has been the case for awhile now so nothing new--I don't even consider saver when buying AS tickets. They use to have a certain set of seats toward the back available for saver selection at book (maybe in a teal color?) and I would consider that for short hops like PDX-SEA but I don't think there is any seat selection anymore which is a deal breaker for me (along with the lowered mileage earning). I do however book Basic Economy when purchasing AA flights because I still get MCE seats at booking and I'm added to the upgrade list for F immediately so I get better benefits as an AS elite on AA Basic Economy than I do as an AS elite on AS Saver--ironic.