Seattle Mariners Trade Jean Segura to Philadelphia Phillies in 5 Player Trade

The recent rumors of the Mariners trade of Jean Segura to the Philadelphia Phillies appear to be over. We now have official confirmation, here is what we believe we know.

Multiple sources have confirmed that the Seattle Mariners have trade Jean Segura, Juan Nicasio, and James Pazos to the Philadelphia Phillies for J.P. Crawford and Carlos Santana. The deal has taken many forms in the past 24 hours, but this appears to be the official trade. No money or additional prospects appear to be included. This has been confirmed as both teams have announced the deal.

The deal has already blown up Mariners social media, as fans are shocked by what most see as a small return for the All-Star shortstop. J.P. Crawford was at one point a Top 10 prospect across most scouting services but has slid after the bat tool stalled out.

As recently as April of 2018, Crawford ranked in the Top 30 in baseball on MLB Pipeline prospect ranks. The shortstop still plays good defense and has experience at shortstop, second, and third. Crawford also has a knack for getting on base, posting a .333 OBP in 72 career games, while posting a .366 OBP in 6 minor league seasons.

Santana signed a 3-year contract worth $60 million last off-season and is due to make $35 million over the next two. The 33-year-old first baseman is one of baseball’s most durable players, appearing in 152 or more games every season since 2013.

Santana will not hit for a high average, but is a walk machine, posting nearly an identical number of walks to strikeouts in his 9-year career. Santana has also clubbed 18 or more home runs every year since 2011. A catcher earlier in his career, Santana has transitioned to first base and handles the position quite well. While he is not a gold glove type, he is still average to slightly above-average depending on who you ask.

In addition to parting ways with Jean Segura, the Mariners also sent relievers James Pazos and Juan Nicasio to the Phillies. Both pitchers struggled at times in 2018, and Pazos saw his velocity dropped substantially as well. Nicasio was due to make $9 million in 2019, the final year of his contract.

This deal will surely be the most criticized deal of the off-season so far, as Jerry Dipoto is banking a lot on J.P. Crawford living up to his prospect hype. If he does, the deal could be a good one. If not, it will be a dark mark on his resume.

In the coming days, we will be bringing you the perspective from both sides of the coin on this trade, so stay tuned.