Jean Segura's retirement leaves behind a complicated Mariners legacy

In the latest of what has been a string of former Seattle Mariners hanging up the cleats, it was officially announced on Wednesday that infielder Jean Segura would be retiring from baseball.

It wasn't a particularly surprising move. The last time we saw Segura in a big league uniform, he was posting a 49 OPS+ and -2.1 rWAR for the Miami Marlins in 2023. He signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles in August 2024, but somehow had even worse numbers over his 14 games with Triple-A Norfolk, leading to him being released in September.

It's a fitting end to what was a career full of ups and downs.

Some of Jean Segura's best years were with the Mariners, but his legacy is a complicated one

After a great season in 2013, Segura's offensive numbers cratered and, outside of a hilarious baserunning gaffe, his time with the Milwaukee Brewers was unremarkable. Assuming his best days were behind him, the Brewers traded him to the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2016, where he put up the best numbers of his life, leading the Mariners to strike a deal with Arizona to bring him and Mitch Haniger to Seattle. They then inked a five-year, $70 million contract extension in hopes that he would continue the momentum he found with the Diamondbacks.

The two seasons he did spend with Seattle didn't quite live up to the financial hype, but they were two reasonably productive years, resulting in a 112 OPS+, 7.1 rWAR, and an All-Star selection. While he didn't hit for much power, he did manage to maintain a batting average of .300 for both seasons and was one of the team's most valuable players in that span.

Despite his strong numbers, he simply never found his footing in the Mariners' locker room. His frustrations came to a head when he got into a physical altercation with teammate Dee Strange-Gordon over an alleged misplay. He had reportedly been on poor terms with manager Scott Servais as well, leading the front office to send him to the Philadelphia Phillies, where he would play out the remainder of his original extension. That deal has proved fruitful for the Mariners, as it gave J.P. Crawford a fresh start that he has led to a productive tenure as Seattle's everyday shortstop.

On one hand, Segura was one of the better shortstops in baseball when he was with Seattle. On the other hand, he wasn't a very good teammate, carried a relatively hefty price tag (at least by the Mariners' standards), and also cost the organization quite a prospect haul.

The two players sent to the Diamondbacks in exchange for his services were Taijuan Walker and Ketel Marte. While the former has had mixed results throughout his career and even briefly found his way back to the Mariners in 2020, the latter has become one of the best second basemen in baseball. To pour salt on the wound, second base is a position Seattle has notoriously struggled to fill in recent years.

Perhaps Segura was one of your favorite players when he was active. Perhaps you still wear his jersey to every game. Regardless of what your personal feelings towards him are, it's easy to see why other fans may be a little more divided or even unaware of what his contributions to the Mariners were.