Sources: Mariners’ next move in roster teardown sends shortstop Jean Segura to the Phillies

Ryan Divish

The Seattle Times

This is no longer a “reimagination” of a roster — whatever that means. While the Mariners may label it a “step back,” it’s starting to resemble a rebuild with each transaction that general manager Jerry Dipoto makes this offseason.

Major League Baseball sources confirmed Sunday evening that the Mariners were working toward finishing a trade that would send All-Star shortstop Jean Segura and possibly one other player to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for a package of players including first baseman Carlos Santana and shortstop J.P. Crawford.

The exact player package is still being agreed upon, but the principles of the deal would be Segura, Santana and Crawford.

Monday was supposed to be about the finalization of a much-publicized trade that would send Mariners stars Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz to the New York Mets.

Besides the medical reports and other details, there is one other aspect of the trade that needs be solved before the trade becomes official — Segura’s full no-trade clause. After being traded three times in his career, Segura demanded a full no-trade clause in the five-year, $70 million contract extension he signed with the Mariners in the middle of the 2017 season.

It’s difficult to know whether Segura will waive his no-trade clause. His personality is far from predictable. But with his close friend Cano being traded to the Mets, and the Mariners destined for losing seasons in the coming years, it would seem like Segura would welcome an opportunity to leave.

Playing for a rising Phillies team in a hitter-friendly ballpark could also be attractive.

Segura, who turns 29 in March, hit .304 with a .755 OPS, 29 doubles, three triples, 10 homers and 63 RBI in 144 games while being named to the American League All-Star team. In two seasons with the Mariners, he’s hit .302 with a .765 OPS.

He’s under contract for the next four seasons and is owed just under $60 million.

That money owed to Segura is why the Mariners would be acquiring Santana in the deal. The veteran first baseman/designated hitter would help offset some of that salary. Santana is owed just over $40 million over the remaining two years of his contract. He hit .229 with a .766 OPS, 28 doubles, two triples, 24 homers and 86 RBI in 2018.

Given the Mariners situation, if Santana were to show any return to his previous production with the Indians, which earned him the big contract, the Mariners would almost certainly trade him if possible.

Crawford, 23, was once considered as a promising prospect for the Phillies, but he’s struggled to adjust to the MLB level. He played in just 49 games with the Phillies this season, hitting .214 with a .712 OPS, six doubles, three triples, three homers and 12 RBI. In 72 games over the past two seasons, he’s hit .214 with a .692 OPS.

By Monday evening, Segura could join the list of players traded from the Mariners’ 2018 roster that includes: Mike Zunino, James Paxton, Robinson Cano, Edwin Diaz, Guillermo Heredia and Alex Colome.