December 29: Segura’s deal actually has a third-year option, per Miami Herald’s Craig Mish. It’s unclear what type of option this is, but Mish provides the specific financial breakdown. Segura will earn $6.5 million in 2023 and $8.5 million in 2024, then there’s a $10 million option for 2025 with a $2 million buyout.
December 28: The Marlins agree on a deal with Jean Seguraas first reported by Hector Gómez of Z101 (Twitter link). Once finalized, it will be a two-year, $17 million contract for client CAA.
Segura has spent the last four years in the NL East. The Phillies acquired the right-handed infielder in the 2018-19 offseason in a deal that was sent. JP Crawford and discharged the final season of by Carlos Santana contract with the Mariners. He spent four seasons as an everyday infielder in Philadelphia. He hit free agency early this offseason when the team bought him out for $1 million instead of a $17 million option.
As he has done for much of his career, Segura has provided consistently effective work on both sides of the ball. He hit between 10 and 14 homers over the three full seasons while stealing between nine and 13 bases each year. In each of the past three seasons, he has posted slightly above average numbers. Since the start of the 2019 campaign, the two-time All-Star has a .281/.337/.418 line through just under 1,800 trips to the flat.
Segura has generally been an enduring and reliable presence in the lineup, topping 125 games in the full eight seasons from 2013-21 and playing in 57 of 60 games during the abbreviated 2020 campaign. That was not the case in 2022 , as he fractured his right index finger during a bunt attempt in late May. It required surgery and sidelined him until early August, but Segura’s production rate this year was in line with previous seasons.
The 32-year-old (33 in March) has hit .277/.336/.387 in 387 plate appearances. He’s not one to draw many walks or punch for massive power, but he makes a lot of contacts. Segura struck out just 15% of his trips to the plate and posted a below-average strikeout percentage in every season of his career. He batted the ball on 83.2% of his swings last season, a rate nearly six percentage points above the league average. Those contact skills are certainly appealing to a Marlins club that entered the offseason looking for hitters with low withdrawal rates.
It’s the first notable roster change of the winter for Miami general manager Kim Ng and her team. They sought to improve a roster that ranked 28th in MLB in scoring, but had so far made no moves to bolster the offense. Segura adds a potential high-end threat for first-year manager Skip Schumaker.
While he’s a solid addition to the batting order, he’s not quite as ideal a fit positionally. Segura played shortstop early in his career, but posted below-average defensive ratings there in 2019. After that season, Philadelphia signed Didi Gregoire and kicked Segura to the other side of the bag. He played almost exclusively at second base for three years, with just 21 starts at third base and two starts at shortstop (all in 2020) during that span. Segura has held shortstop for just two innings the past two seasons.
Since joining the Keystone, the Dominican Republic native has been highly rated with the glove. Defensive Runs Saved has awarded him a total of six runs over par over the past three years, while Statcast has awarded him 13 runs over par. Second base is his best position at this point in his career, meaning he’s coming across as a young star Jazz Chisholm Jr. will kick the shortstop. While Chisholm emerged as a shortstop prospect, he played mostly second base in MLB. Like Segura, he hasn’t recorded a single inning outside of second base in 2022. In a fairly small sample of 329 2/3 innings at shortstop from 2020-21, Chisholm is ranked as an inferior fielder average by DRS and Statcast. .
Moving Chisholm to shortstop could signal reduced playing time for Miguel Rojas. Considered Miami’s unofficial team captain, Rojas served as South Florida’s leading shortstop for five straight seasons. He’s a quality defenseman, but he’s only hit .236/.283/.323 in 507 plate appearances in 2022. Part of the lackluster offensive performance could be down to injury, as the 33-year-old suffered surgery to repair damage to the cartilage in his right wrist. at the end of the season. Rojas is contracted for $5 million next season and has reportedly attracted a few commercial interest of the Red Sox earlier this winter. Miami could definitely keep Rojas in the depth of the infield – especially if they deal with a third baseman Joey Windle instead – but signing Segura could make them more willing to accept trade offers on their incumbent shortstop.
Segura was one of four players and two position players (the other being Jurickson Profar) of MLBTR’s pre-offseason top 50 free agents who had not yet agreed to the terms. The reported contract is a near-match for the two years and $18 million that MLBTR had projected. The specific financial breakdown of the deal was not disclosed, but an even salary breakdown of $8.5 million would bring Miami’s estimated payroll in 2023 to $103 million, according to calculations by List resource. That would be a little north of the $79 million mark from last season’s opening day.
It is unclear how much money Ng and his team still have to play with, although the club may continue to look for ways to remedy the breach. Center field is an obvious need, while Miami can add behind the plate or in the corner infield. The Marlins’ stable of quality young pitchers gives them the chance to turn to the trade market for offensive help, which now seems to be the course of action following tonight’s dip in free agency.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
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