The Philadelphia Phillies have acquired SS Jean Segura, RHP Juan Nicasio and LHP James Pazos from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for SS J.P. Crawford and 1B Carlos Santana.
For the Phillies, they wanted to improve their situation at shortstop after Crawford\’s disappointing 2018. They were in on Manny Machado, and since they traded Santana, they still could be. Machado can play third and move Maikel Franco to first. Segura is a fast infielder that can lead off and get on base. They get two relievers as well to improve their bullpen. Nicasio pitched 1.1 innings for the Phillies in 2017, before being flipped in a trade.
Segura, 28, had a .304 batting average, 10 home runs, 63 RBIs and 20 stolen bases in 632 Plate Appearances for the Mariners in 2018. His best all-around season was with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2016, when he had a .319 batting average, hit 20 home runs, 64 RBIs and stole 33 bases. In his MLB career for the Mariners, Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Angels, Segura has a .287 batting average, 64 home runs, 316 RBIs and 171 stolen bases in 3822 Plate Appearances.
Nicasio, 32, had a 6.00 ERA, 2.99 FIP and 53 strikeouts in 42 innings for the Mariners in 2017. The best year of his career came in 2017 with the Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals. That year, he had a 2.61 ERA, 2.98 FIP and 72 strikeouts in 72.1 innings. In his MLB career for the Mariners, Phillies, Pirates, Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers and Colorado Rockies, Nicasio has a 4.64 ERA, a 3.91 FIP and 622 strikeouts in 671.2 innings.
Pazos, 27, had a career year in 2018, with a 2.88 ERA, 3.60 FIP and 45 strikeouts in 50 innings for the Mariners. In his MLB career for the Mariners and New York Yankees, Pazos has a 3.54 ERA, 4.01 FIP and 116 strikeouts in 112 innings.
For the Mariners, they wanted to trade Segura as part of their rebuild. But all they got is a former top prospect after a terrible year, and a first baseman with a big contract. I think they could have gotten a better return for the three players.
Crawford, who will be 24 by the start of 2018, hit .214, with three homers in 12 RBIs in 138 Plate Appearances in 2018. In his MLB career, all for the Phillies, Crawford has a .214 batting average, three homers and 18 RBIs in 225 Plate Appearances.
Santana, 32, had a .229 batting average, with 24 homers and 86 RBIs in 679 Plate Appearances in 2018. The best year of his career came in 2016 with the Cleveland Indians, when he had a batting average of .259, with 34 home runs and 87 RBIs. In his MLB career with the Phillies and Indians, Santana has a .247 batting average, with 198 home runs and 673 RBIs in 5461 PA.
The Phillies win this trade. They get a star shortstop and two useful relievers for an unproven former top prospect and a decent first baseman with a hefty contract.
CarterHud 