The Mariners have found a starting shortstop and a productive leadoff hitter in one player and they aren’t letting him go.
The team announced on Wednesday morning that they’ve signed Jean Segura to a five-year contract extension, making him part of the team’s future.
“Over the past two seasons, Jean has been one of the premier offensive players in baseball,” said Mariners’ general manager Jerry Dipoto. “His combination of average, power and speed is extremely difficult to find, especially as a top-of-the-lineup hitter at a key defensive position like shortstop. We are all quite excited about having him here with the Mariners and believe he is a key ingredient in our ongoing effort to build a championship level roster.”
While the Mariners didn’t release the financial details of the contract per club policy, sources confirmed the structure of the contract. Segura will receive a $3 million signing bonus. He will make $9 million for the 2018 season and then $14.25 million per season from 2019 through 2022. There is a club option for a sixth year at $17 million in 2023 with a $1 million buyout. The contract also features a full-no trade clause.
This is the first major contract commitment of the new ownership group led by Chief Executive Officer John Stanton.
It’s been a long and unsuccessful search by the Mariners to find productive shortstop since the departure of Alex Rodriguez in 2000. Past trade attempts for veterans proved unsuccessful, while multiple high draft picks and international signings never developed into players that could handle the rigors of the position on defense while still being a viable contributor on offense.
Segura, 27, has been both for the Mariners this season, despite injuries that have landed him on the disabled list. Before suffering a high ankle sprain that forced him to the 10-day disabled list on June 3, Segura was hitting .341, tied for the best batting average in the American League with an .852 on-base plus slugging percentage, 10 doubles, four homers and 20 RBIs and seven stolen bases in 43 games.
Since the start of the 2016 season, Jean ranks fourth in MLB in hits (265) and fifth in batting average (.324), despite two stints on the disabled list. Among leadoff hitters during that same span, he leads the Majors in doubles (48) while ranking 2nd in extra-base hits (79) and 5th in RBIs (83).
Seattle acquired Segura in the offseason from the Diamondbacks along with outfielder Mitch Haniger and pitcher Zac Curtis in exchange for pitcher Taijuan Walker and infielder Ketel Marte. He has been everything the Mariners expected and more.
Segura was going to be in his final year of arbitration eligibility in 2018 and become a free agent after that season. The Mariners bought out that year where he likely would’ve made around $10 million.
