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Philadelphia Phillies: Building a Christmas list for the rest of free agency

By David Esser

Sep 3, 2020; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Bryce Harper (3) and catcher J.T. Realmuto (10) congratulate each other after scoring against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2020; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Bryce Harper (3) and catcher J.T. Realmuto (10) congratulate each other after scoring against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 25, 2020; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies infielder Jean Segura (2) makes a throw to first base in the fifth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 25, 2020; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies infielder Jean Segura (2) makes a throw to first base in the fifth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports /

Trade Andrew McCutchen and Jean Segura.

Starting to dip a bit into the “improbable” side of things when it comes to this wishlist, trading away both Jean Segura and Andrew McCutchen would help the Philadelphia Phillies immensely – both in the short and the longterm.

For starters, both Cutch and Segura are declining players. Segura’s batting average stumbled down to .266 last season, and McCutchen posted a career worst OPS of .757. With both of these players on the wrong side of 30, it’s hard to imagine them magically turning things around in 2021 and beyond.

Segura recorded a career-high 20 errors at shortstop in 2019, and and Cutch’s dWar stumbled down to a -1.0 this past season. There’s an argument to be made that you could hide their defensive struggles by keeping Segura at 2B permanently and rotating Cutch in and out at LF – but there’s also other, younger players that would better suit those positions.

The Phillies have to see what Scott Kingery looks like as an everyday second baseman, and I believe Adam Haseley is most suited to play LF moving forward (I have a different plan for CF).

Oh, and on top of all that, moving off both of these veterans creates some serous financial relief for the Phils. Segura is being paid just under $15 million in 2021, and Cutch is set to earn $20 million.

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