NY Mets: 3 trades to explore with their NL East rivals before the deadline

Phillies: INF Jean Segura

While a player like Starling Marte could sure up the Mets’ outfield, they could also use some help in the infield as well, and the Phillies’ Jean Segura could be the fix that the Mets need.

Shortstop Francisco Lindor has struggled at the plate the bulk of 2021, starting third baseman JD Davis has missed all but 14 games this year, and second baseman Jeff McNeil has both missed time due to injury and struggled at the plate.

The Mets could certainly use a versatile infielder with a hot bat to help fix these issues, and Jean Segura is a player who fits the bill. He has the ability to hit for average, a bit of speed while running the bases and can play both shortstop, second and third base.

Currently for the 2021 season, Segura has served primarily as the Phillies’ starting second baseman. For the year, he has batted .325 with a .377 OBP, hitting 3 HRs and 21 RBI while stealing 6 bases, numbers any contending team would love to have.

With the Phillies currently 4th place in the NL East, they may end up being traders at the deadline, and Segura appears to be a candidate to be moved.

He does have one added caveat of his contract, which runs through the 2022 season and has a team option for 2023. His price tag is $14.8 million for 2022, and the option is for $17 million in 2023 with a $1 million buyout.

While this isn’t an outrageous amount for a player performing at Segura’s level, it does give the Phillies the added leverage to hold onto him this year if they so wish and retain his services for next year.

If the Mets want to get him, they’d have to offer their division rivals a tempting package of prospects and eat a bit of money. However, there are very few players of Segura’s caliber on the market, and depending on how Davis recovers and if Lindor and McNeil improve at the plate, they may seriously need to consider pulling the trigger on this deal.