The Philadelphia Phillies have intriguing trade partners for Jean Segura

The Philadelphia Phillies might finally be able to trade Jean Segura.

When the Philadelphia Phillies first acquired Jean Segura in 2019, it made a lot of sense for where the team was. The deal allowed them to unload Carlos Santana’s contract, move Rhys Hoskins to first base, and upgrade both at shortstop and left field.

Segura had a history of consistently hitting between .280 and .300 while playing average defense at shortstop, making him a welcomed addition to the team.

Two years later, the time for Segura to move on has come and the Phillies are reportedly shopping their former starting shortstop.

According to FanSided’s Robert Murray and Fancred’s Jon Heyman, there is a lot of trade talk surrounding Segura, including with the Toronto Blue Jays.

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Toronto has a ton of up and coming infielders with Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio handling the middle of the diamond, but they have a hole at third base with Vlad Guerrero Jr. moving to 1B/DH.

Last year Travis Shaw (who just got non-tendered) got the bulk of playing time at third for Toronto hitting a measly .239 in 50 games. Segura proved capable at third base last year to handle Toronto’s hot corner while also providing depth at second and short if necessary.

Cincinnati could also use a shortstop, while the Angels appear set after acquiring Jose Iglesias on Tuesday. Oakland likely doesn’t have the money to pay Segura, but they might be out looking for a shortstop as well.

Segura has two years left on his contract plus a club option for 2023 that includes a $1M buyout. If a team had Segura for two years and bought him out for the third it’d cost them $30.7 million over two years, about the same price a team will pay for Didi Gregorius in free agency.

Phillies owner John Middleton made it clear that he’d like to cut back to recuperate some of the money lost in 2020, and removing Segura’s contract would go a long way in balancing the payroll. Philadelphia might have to pick up a portion of that salary, but even picking up 25% would save them $23 million over two years.

That’s a large portion of a potential Gregorius contract extension in free agency.

The more they pay the more another team will give up in prospects or pitching. If the Phillies are really desperate to dump the salary, they likely won’t ask for much in return. They have a third baseman in Alec Bohm and they’ll hope for Scott Kingery‘s return at second base.

Shortstop will remain a question with Didi Gregorius on the open market, but they could explore other options such as Andrelton Simmons, Marcus Semien, or even the return of (gulp) Freddy Galvis.

If the Phillies really are desperate to clear salary, expect Segura to be pushed had to other teams this offseason as a versatile leadoff hitter who could bounce back in a new city.