The Phillies and Mariners are reportedly now deep in trade talks to potentially send Mariners shortstop Jean Segura to Philadelphia.
UPDATE: According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Phillies and Mariners have agreed to a deal in principle for shortstop Jean Segura. Former top prospect J.P. Crawford is involved along with others. Nightengale says the deal is likely to be announced on Monday.
UPDATE 2: In addition to Crawford, Carlos Santana will be a part of the deal acccording to Nightengale and others. He also says other major-league players as well as one prospect will be included.
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The Mariners are going into full sell-off mode this offseason, already dealing three of their top players. The Phillies may very well be the next team to pry away some of Seattle’s talent in a trade.
Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic reported Sunday night that talks between Philadelphia and Seattle have gotten serious. He even went as far to say as they have a deal “lined up.”
Once Cano-Diaz to #Mets is official, #Mariners have next deal lined up. Team is in serious talks on a trade that would send shortstop Jean Segura to Philadelphia, sources tell The Athletic. Segura holds full no-trade clause, and would need to approve the deal. H/t @agsnetworks.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 3, 2018
Rosenthal referenced the AG Sports Network in his tweet reporting the news. The network, ran by CEO Alex Gelman, tweeted that Segura is a Phillie, pending a physical. Take that for what it’s worth, but Rosenthal referencing it in his tweet is notable.
Sources tell me Jean Segura is a @Phillies. Has to pass physical and should be announced sometime tomorrow #gophils #MLB
— Alex Gelman (@agsnetworks) December 3, 2018
Either way, it appears that Segura is very close to becoming a Phillie. He offers solid defense at shortstop and a good offensive profile with a .308/.353/.449 line over the last three seasons with the Mariners and Diamondbacks. He is a significant upgrade over anyone Philadelphia had at shortstop last year on a good contract.
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The obvious question regarding any trade would be the cost. Rosenthal previously reported that the Mariners expressed interest in J.P. Crawford, who some believe has the ceiling to be like Segura. A potential package could something be along the lines of Crawford, Carlos Santana, Ranger Suarez, Jhailyn Ortiz, and cash.
If Philadelphia were to make this trade, that doesn’t mean they are out of the race for Manny Machado. In fact, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reported Saturday the club is looking to pair Segura and Machado together on the left side of the infield. It would involve convincing Machado to move back to third base, but having a quality shortstop like Segura already in town could make things easier.
Of course, none of this matters if Segura declines to waive his no-trade clause. Fortunately for Philadelphia, it appears he may have. SoDo Mojo, the Mariners FanSided site, has said Segura did indeed waive the clause.
While it may have taken some time, it appears the Phils are ready to start wheeling and dealing. With the winter meetings coming up next week, more and more moves could be on the horizon.