The Diamondbacks have announced that they’ve acquired starter Taijuan Walker and shortstop Ketel Marte from the Mariners for middle infielder Jean Segura, outfielder Mitch Haniger and lefty Zac Curtis. The Mariners also announced that they’ve designated switch-pitcher Pat Venditte for assignment. Yahoo! Sports Jeff Passan was first to tweet that a deal was close between the two teams.
[Related: Updated Arizona Diamondbacks Depth Chart]
The trade marks quite the opening salvo for Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen, who has added two very intriguing young players to his new organization. Walker, 24, began his career as a top-ten prospect in all of baseball, and while he hasn’t yet emerged as a standout starter, he also hasn’t done much to dim his status as a top young talent. His name had repeatedly come up as a speculative possibility in potential blockbusters, including one in 2014 involving David Price, but he managed to stick with Seattle and put in two-plus seasons in their rotation before finally being dealt. In 2016, he posted a 4.22 ERA, with 8.0 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 over 134 1/3 big-league innings, bringing a strong mid-90s fastball in the process.
Walker’s upside remains considerable, and he’s under control for the next several seasons — he’s eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter as a Super Two player (and is projected to make $2.8MM), and he can’t become a free agent until after the 2020 season. He battled a foot injury in the middle of the 2016 campaign and had surgery to address it after the season, but there’s no reason to expect that to be a major issue going forward. He’ll join some combination of Zack Greinke, Robbie Ray, Patrick Corbin, Shelby Miller, Rubby De La Rosa, Archie Bradley and Braden Shipley in the Diamondbacks’ rotation.
Marte is a not-to-be-overlooked component of Arizona’s side of the deal. He only recently turned 23 and already has the equivalent of a season’s worth of big-league plate appearances under his belt. While he struggled both offensively and defensively in 2016 (posting a .259/.287/.323 line and a significantly below average UZR), he fared well enough in the minors to get to the big leagues at age 21, and certainly has time to improve. If he develops, he could become the Diamondbacks’ starting shortstop for the next several seasons.
“Young, controllable pitching is hard to find, and adding Taijuan to the rotation gives us significant depth in that area,” Hazen says. “In Ketel, we believe we have acquired a talented switch-hitting shortstop to join a very solid core of young middle infielders.”
[Related: Updated Seattle Mariners Depth Chart]
From the Mariners’ perspective, the deal seems to hinge to a large degree on Segura’s breakout performance last season. Segura batted .319/.368/.499 with 20 homers in an outstanding 2016, posting 5.0 fWAR of value in his first season with the Snakes. (Credit former GM Dave Stewart for acquiring Segura in one of his better trades in his short tenure in Arizona.)
Segura’s previous history is erratic, however — he failed to clear a .300 OBP in either 2014 or 2015 with the Brewers. Some of Segura’s struggles might have been related to the tragic death of his infant son in the middle of the 2014 season, but his difficulties on the field are still worth considering. Also, unlike Marte (who is controllable for five more years), Segura only has two years of control remaining before he’s eligible for free agency. (MLBTR projects he’ll make $7.3MM in his second year of arbitration eligibility this offseason.) Segura had primarily been a second baseman with the Diamondbacks, but it appears likely he’ll play mostly shortstop with the Mariners, who have Robinson Cano at second.
The 25-year-old Haniger made his big-league debut in 2016 and batted a modest .229/.309/.404 in 123 plate appearances. He did, however, grade well defensively in a small sample, and he batted an excellent .341/.428/.670 in 312 plate appearances at Triple-A Reno, demonstrating outstanding power (with 20 home runs, albeit in a favorite hitting environment) and good plate discipline. Nonetheless, he was not particularly highly regarded — MLB.com ranked him just 21st among Diamondbacks prospects, noting the likelihood that he would wind up as a good fourth outfielder, and Baseball America (subscription required) didn’t even mention him in their midseason writeup on the Diamondbacks system. Still, he wouldn’t be the first young player with excellent minor league numbers to go underrated by prospect hounds, and he could contribute to a thin Mariners’ outfield immediately (likely mostly as a corner outfielder, since the M’s have Leonys Martin to man center). The Diamondbacks initially acquired him in 2014 when they traded Gerardo Parra to the Brewers.
Curtis has the lowest profile of any of the five players in the deal, but he’s an interesting fifth piece. He was pitching for Class A+ Visalia in 2016 when he got promoted all the way to the big leagues, thanks to a stat line that included 22 strikeouts in 10 1/3 innings. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he didn’t fare well there, posting a 6.75 ERA, 6.8 K/9 and 8.8 BB/9 in 13 1/3 innings, but he got significantly better results after heading back to Double-A Mobile and might eventually reemerge as a good bullpen arm once he has more seasoning. In 111 minor league innings, he’s totaled 169 strikeouts against 35 walks. Curtis is undersized at 5’9″ and averaged a relatively modest 90.9 MPH on his fastball in the big leagues, though, so he probably doesn’t profile as a future power reliever.
Venditte pitched 13 1/3 innings with the Mariners in 2016 and allowed ten runs. The 31-year-old has attracted plenty of curiosity for his ability to pitch with either hand, but despite his consistent platoon advantage, he has just a 4.97 ERA, 7.5 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in parts of two seasons in the big leagues. Most of the damage done against Venditte has come from right-handed batters, as opposing lefties have hit just .179/.242/.366 against him.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Big trade boys!!
Well that’s a big one…
That’s what she said.
Woah.
Precisely my reaction.
Same
WHATTTTTTTT!!!!
Well I wasn’t expecting that trade. As a Mariners fan not bad. I like Segura but the Diamondbacks got the better deal on paper.
No way. Neither Marte or Walker have lived up to any of their hype, especially walker. And the dbacks decide to trade for them by giving up a guy who hit .319/.368/.499 at second base?! I don’t like this deal for Arizona, but good buy for mariners. Great middle infielder with growing potential, and the rest of the package has upside to
Segura is completely unpredictable. He could easily be replacement level next year.
I agree Dbacks have the better end and higher ceiling. M’s got taken by a fluke Asbrudal Cabrerra type player
Plus they got Mitch Haniger who I feel is highly underrated
umm they are both young (23 and 24) and Walker had a decent year last Year dude. and we got all.of this based off one good year of segura
Walker had a bad year last year. 4.22 ERA, a 4.99 FIP and a 0.6 WAR. For a guy that relies on his FB, he was unable to strike out even one per inning. Unless he can improve on his command of at least one off-speed pitch, he will remain a prospect that didn’t live up to the hype.
Chase Field is a HITTER’S BALLPARK!! There is no way Walker can do anything productive for them because we all saw what Shelby Miller did for them last season. Walker will get demoted to AAA before the season ends, book it!
This is a sell high, but low deal for Arizona. It’s a good risk to take
Buy*
Agreed
Agreed
That’s a terrible get for the Mariners. I’d like to think several teams (the Cubs immediately come to mind) would have offered more for Walker alone.
heck nah. not seggy
It’ll be worth it though.
if ketel can end up being. able to hit and walker can actually pitch
Huge deal! Could be great for both sides, but Seattle looks to have gotten the biggest benefit, as Segura is the top of the order bat they needed all year to hit in front of Seager, Cano, and Cruz.
That’s what I thought too… I sure hope Jean Segura is worth it.
true
Wholly sh*t!
Awful trade for Mariners Walker has a lot of potential and So did Marte
um segura is a great player. he came up with over 200 hits last season. ketel doesn’t have offense and walker has a 4.50 era every season and he’s hurt every year. i would’ve traded them both for just segura and if i was the mariners i would think i got the better deal.
Segura is an extremely inconsistent hitter. He broke out with the Brewers in his first half-season with them, and then fell off the map for two and a half years, and then broke out again last year with the DBacks. He’s definitely not a sure thing to be the same guy you saw last season.
He had to overcome the death of his child in Milwaukee, I don’t know about you, but he had some major problems outside of baseball and needed a fresh start and he got it. I think he’s here to stay now.
^true. but how is he inconsistent?
Look on the back of his baseball card and you’ll see
players can’t play to their potential in some environments
Key word “potential” been hearing about Walkers “potential” for a long time now, he lacks focus, If Segura does what he did last year Mariners are in good shape, Marte is the guy to look at, he could still be very solid. Very interested in Haniger, he could be X factor in this trade
yeah. honestly, i think walker has reached his ceiling, and ketel will end up being a Nick Ahmed type player.
I agree with your name, but other than that not much. Walker is regressing. He had a 4.22 ERA, 4.99 FIP and a 0.6 WAR. Not good by any measure. Marte is a light hitting SS prospect that forgot how to play defense and how to hit. They are both young, but both seem to be guys that have a ton of talent but haven’t lived up to it.
Mitch Haniger is a great fit. Segura can hit! Good trade.
segura might be able to hit but than again that was in Arizona a hitter friendly ballpark his numbers before that weren’t as good
he won’t hit as many homers but his average will go up because of the bigger outfield
Agreed. I’d think his doubles would increase.
that’s true maybe triples so than again his slugging might go up as well
Or he’ll hit more flyouts…
.312 away and .325 home. He was a good hitter regardless
For each side, this could wind up going very well or very poorly
That’s exactly what I was thinking.
The Mariners have a great lineup now , but aren’t they short on starters?
we could try to get a reunion with Doug fister and trade some prospects for a pitcher if we did get fister are Britain looks like
1. Hernandez 2.iwakuma 3.paxton 4.fister 5. karnes
They need to sign Jason Hammel now for sure
Agreed
NOOOOO
What? Why are the mariners doing this to themselves.
Seattle looking like a playoff offense
This was definitely not expected. First thought is that Diamondbacks end up with a massive steal if Walker and Marte play out their untapped potential. Little bit perplexed about the prospects the Mariners are getting.
Non-entities. A 6th round lefty specialist who bombed in the majors last year, and a replacement level 5th outfielder. Marte’s probably worth more than both together.
This did not age well
Wow. Jean Segura feels like a big upgrade at SS but Taijuan Walker is a big piece to give up.
the mariners got the better deal tbh
Woah.
the diamondbacks finally got him… couple years ago we were going to get Upton for him but he said no to his no trade clause they always wanted him
I did not see that coming
holy mother
Damn i remember reading so much about Taijuan Walker being untouchable in previous trades.
and now he goes for seggy
An article back in july 2014 stated that Rays asked for Walker in trade for David Price.
Walker was supposed to go Arizona a few years ago for Justin Upton but Justin said no.
yeah i came across that one too. Wonder what other top tier players they could’ve acquired if they included Walker in those talks. Oh well, coulda shoulda woulda
both Walker and Marte have potential they just couldn’t get results. the Mariners couldn’t have probably gotten more from this deal
Yup. Sounds like one of those deals where a bunch of other GM’s end up sitting there thinking “why the eff didn’t the Mariners call me?”
That was definitely an unexpected trade. I feel that was a very good one for the Dbacks
no
I expect the Mariners to go after SP after this trade? Maybe Nova or Hill.
Jason Hammel would be best fit
Yeah I could see that. Jamel would be a nice pickup.
Hammel*
Honestly thought you gave him a nickname there
haha I thought you did too and I liked it
Mets fan here. Nice get by the Mariners. Segura is a class act and a solid everyday SS. Congrats.
Walker is nice but …. idk…. he looks a bit like a late inning relief option the few times I saw him start.
agreed^
Walker lacks focus, remember he got off track dating Mark Rypens daughter who plays in the “lingerie football league” has great natural talent just doesn’t have the focus you need to be great, tough to teach it if not impossible, wish him the best and kept rooting for him to put it together he just could never sustain it, one bad call by ump or error by team and he implodes.
How are you going to trade segura for this ??? Much more value, should’ve gotten more. Way to go Hazen
preach ^^
He was probably thinking that Walker still has some potential to be an ace, but in that ballpark he’s gonna get knocked around the same way Miller got knocked around this year. Marte needs more time to develop in AAA, so maybe they’ll try and shift Drury to 2nd next year? Overall bad trade if they don’t do that.
Disagree. Segura hit for more power than ever before last year, but I think there are real questions as to whether that’s sustainable given his tendency to swing at everything. He seems like a good guy, and I like Seattle and hope he does well, but this was a good chance to sell before his value drops, and I still like Marte as a decent SS option in the future, even if he’ll never be particularly great
he won’t hit as many homers, but his average will go up.
Lol what? He goes from one of the best hitters parks to one of the most pitcher friendly parks but his average will go up? You sir are a moron. This is an awful awful trade for Seattle
I disagree. He won’t hit for as many HRs, but with his speed, his average, OBP, doubles and triples will go up. Perfect leadoff hitter for us and the power comes after him. A few dingers from him will be nice, but that’s not why we got him.
safeco field is a pitchers park because there aren’t as many home runs, but the outfield is bigger which will take away from his home run total but will ad to his doubles, triples, average, and OBP. oh and by the way i guarantee that i have a much better baseball iq than you , moron
Finally, I honestly never wanted to trade Walker, but now that it happened I’m good with it. This gives us one of the best offenses in the MLB. Our rotation has Felix, Paxton, Iwakuma, Miranda/Karns/Moore. I’m guessing we are also going to go out and sign another starter. Allredy have a great bullpen if we can get a lefty. Really the only thing we need is another outfielder, 5th starter and lefty in the bullpen.
Felix is already burning out. Kuma not far behind. Miranda has a small sample size. Karma is a joke. Paxton and taijuan were supposed to be a 1-2 punch for years to come. Failure on jerry dipotos behalf, also can’t believe the rest of the organization allowed him to go through with it.
That’s just the way your choosing to look at it. Felix could come back, iwakuma is still a solid 3, Paxton if he’s healthy is an ace, karns or Miranda will probally be the 5th starter. Dipoto is going to do what he always does and go out and trade for another starter.
Don’t know why that got posted 3 times lol
we don’t have Miranda anymore I thought
Nevermind we do
You guys stole him from my O’s. Miranda could be a very solid major league pitcher if he keeps up the pace from the end of this year. I have a feeling that trade is gonna haunt the O’s for a few years, especially if Miley sucks again next year.
I think it’s ok. We traded you Adam Jones and Chris Tillman for an injury plagued Erik Bedard. I think you guys can deal with Wade Miley at the expense of Ariel Miranda! Haha. Ps…I think Miranda will be a very solid pitcher in Seattle too and I hope so as an Ms fan.
Oh yeah sorry about that one lol. Classic Zduriencik!
That trade was before Z….Bill Bavasi
Wade Miley sucks, but you’re right. We did get Adam Jones, Chris Tillman, and Mark Trumbo from you.
Dangit, I always forget that. Thanks.
DiPoto is a very clever, shrewd and solid GM. He has a keen eye for talent. Lets see how it plays out.
the upside walker has is much needed in arizona. Great move to sell segura and thy got a decent raplacment. i like this move by the dbacks
they* and replacment*… jeez sorry about that
Mariners fans are you happy? Mad? It seems like they gave up on Walker too quickly when starting pitching is at a premium… Especially when you don’t know what you’re gonna get out of Felix next year and what does the rest of the rotation look like? Seems odd, cuz they have enough pop in their lineup so that wasn’t their problem these past few years.
I’m happy.
I watch every Mariners game and this makes no sense. Segura is great but we will only get him for 2 years. Taijuan was approaching ace like stiff when healthy and not to mention 4 more years of control. Kettle had a down year yes but he has upside as a switchhitting shortstop, young, and with 5 more years of control. AZ needed to throw in another young MLB player instead of the two prospects to make this at all even
I’m happy. Been hearing about Walker’s potential for too long. Segura solves SS and leadoff, and Walker is leaving one of the most pitcher-friendly parks in MLB. There has to be another shoe to drop, I doubt DiPoto makes this move without a pitcher coming in right behind it.
Yes, Walker is leaving one of the most pitcher-friendly parks in the MLB. But it also works the other way… Segura is leaving one of the most hitter-friendly parks in the MLB…
Look at his home/road stats- his road numbers are better- he’ll be fine in Safeco, lots of gaps to hit…
Gosh. So far, 34 comments in 13 minutes since this article was published. What a weird trade. I would rather be on the Mariners end except than AZ needed SP.
all of these players are prospects or have had unsteady results. Mariners now need another starter and d’backs most likely sold high on Segura. This sort of makes up for their trade with the Braves (Miller). If they can get a great pitching coach, watch out for the Snakes. Mariners must be signing Hill and/or Hammel.
IMHO Seattle should target Nova or Hammel.
Agree.
Gotta love baseball trades
The days of bad Diamondback trades seem to be over. This could be a huge get for them. Remember Segura was not all that great until reviving his career in Arizona. Maybe Marte can do something similar, (yes I realize he’s younger). Though I will say I don’t think it’s a horrible deal for the Mariners. On paper the Diamondbacks have the better side, but Seattle has a way of nabbing the talent they want. Gosh, Walker though. That’s a lot to give up.
Segura solidifies the top of the lineup now. Short term.
Walker and Marte would seem to be longer term assets.
Know who’s? IMO, Mariners get the better short term asset
I don’t see Segura as a huge upgrade over Marte. Segura had one good year. Walker has amazing potential. Nice first trade for GM Mike Haven
I had to reread that a couple of times, just to make sure I wasn’t confusing the names with some minor leaguers
I think the D-Backs have more moves coming….
They now have 3 Short-stops (Ahmed, Marte, and Owings)
They now have extra starters to deal too…
1) Greinke
2) Ray
3) Miller
4) Walker
5) Corbin
6) Bradley
7) Shipley
8) Godley
9) De La Rosa
Padres need both a SS and a SP…. thoughts?
Mariners now have a lot of OF’s to use.
Smith – Martin – Valencia – Haniger – Gamel – Heredia – O’Malley
Mariners still put out a nice starting 5
1) Hernandez
2) Iwakuma
3) Paxton
4) Miranda
5) Karns
with Cody Martin and Zach Lee providing depth
I’m not saying they should, but seattles going to trade for another starter because that’s just how Dipoto works.
He totally gutted the Angels farm, so I won’t be surprised for him to make another big move
i forgot to mention Mariners 2 other OF’s acquired from the Rays – Shaffer and Motter
At this point,I doubt the Dbacks trade any of their starting pitching.
RDLR may or may not need TJ surgery, depending on the results from stem cell injection he had recently. The team won’t know for a while. Even if TJ is not needed, a permanent move to the BP is likely.
Godley is nothing better than 6th or 7th arm or likely long man out of a BP.
Shipley will start the season in Reno.
Corbin is the question mark. His second season back from TJ & didn’t pitch well at all for most of the season. A move to the BP in late August got him back on track to finish the season.
That leaves the rest to fill out the rotation.
Yeah but the Padres probably aren’t going to go crazy they still have figure out what they have in Urias and Rodon. I don’t see them dipping into prospects rather seeking a vet or two to just eat innings.
The only three of those guys Arizona would deal are the last three and none of them are very good. The Padres rotation is terrible but adding Rubby De La Rosa isn’t a step up.
If Arizona is smart, they will convert Ray to a reliever (maybe even a closer).
Really like this trade from the Diamondbacks perspective. The cost of both Walker and Marte is well below Segura. The Dbacks have Ahmed and Owings who can both man SS and Owings proved he’s fine enough at Second.
With Walker, Ray, Bradley and Miller they have quite a few high potential, controllable young pitchers. The only part I don’t like about the trade for the Dbacks is losing Haniger. He is a good defender, decent on the bases and solid stick.
I’m surprised Seattle didn’t try to get O’Brien. I keep expecting him to be shipped to an AL where he belongs and for some team to see how many moon shots he’ll hit and see if he can hit enough to be a good MLBer.
All in all, a great first move by Hazen. As he gets a high ceiling pitcher, high ceiling SS and saves some money the team can allocate to the bullpen.
well first Jean hasn’t done much for awhile so selling high is not bad. Martel has done great in triple A and is still 23 while Walker still is doing good and is also 24. so we have a lot of potential and if it pans out we have control of both for many years.
Have to believe Arizona wins this one…two under 25 players for Segura…
I see what the mariners are thinking. Rangers won the division, Astros are going all out, angels are still trying to win, and you never know with bills beane and the a’s, so they gotta make some risks.
That’s why I don’t get this deal for the Mariners. The Rangers have Darvish for one more year. The Astros are loading up. The Angels are a doormat. I just don’t see the Mariners having enough firepower to overtake the Astros. So why give up 4 years of a pitcher with so much upside?
The thing I haven’t seen mentioned is that Segura doesn’t grade out as a long term SS. I think his move to 2nd helped his breakout. We’ll see how his return to short goes.
A’s can now ask the world for Gray…
Agreed, and even keeping this trade in play – Haniger and Segura would be perfect fits in Oakland, who have holes in CF and 2B. O’Neill, Segura and Haniger for Gray sounds fair.
Wow, az wheelin and dealin already!
It looks like the D-back chosen to retool rather than rebuild. I don’t think Walker will work out. He struggled in a pitchers park and now he is going to Arizona. Basically a death sentence
Dang, I told my wife today that I wished the Royals could trade Lorenzo Cain for Walker. Seemed like a good fit for both teams needs but looks like the M’s and D-backs figured something out first and there has been no mention of Cain being discussed although we know the Royals need to be creative with their large core of players hitting free agency next season.
I was expecting Seattle to trade Walker for either Mccutchen or Cain, I think Walker wasn’t good enough to get them back so maybe Arizona values him more because they’ve traded for Walker before,
As a Mariners fan I feel like we’re buying high and selling low. We’ll see.
I agree with this. If Segura repeats his 2016, then they’ll be in great shape, but I definitely have my doubts.
You pretty much are. This is Seattle buying Segura as a 5 WAR player, and not as the 3 WAR player he is probably closer to being. On the other side of the coin, this is Seattle taking a gamble by moving Walker to get to that 5 WAR, having seen enough to begin believing that Walker simply may not reach that potential ceiling.
Nice job of trading high by Hazen. I have serious doubts that Segura will repeat 2016. Walker is a big talent looking to break out.
This is a horrible move by the Mariners. The number one rule is never give up young controllable cheap pitching and this is exactly that. Taijuan has nowhere to go but up, when healthy he has looked better than Hernandez at present time. Don’t get me wrong, segura is tremendous, but we are also only getting him for 2 years. Woulda made far more sense to get Cozart for one year, give Martel another year and see what happens. This will come back to bite the Mariners like the Adam jones trade. Eek.
Mariners fans don’t care about what’s going to happen 5 years from now. We want the playoffs now, Marte is not getting us into the playoffs next year and Walker was the price we had to pay. As you should be able to tell, most Mariner fans are pretty happy about this.
I agree…. we’re only a a couple pieces away and a better SS is one of ’em, and getting better on the right handed hitting was another. I still see some room in the budget, so hopefully we can get another starter and another bullpen piece.
and what has that #1 rule gotten this team? hultzen, paxton, walker… still nothing but non-playoff finishes.
Completely agree. I love the trade. Walker and Marte could end up being good, but I don’t see that happening for 3 or 4 years. By that time Felix and Cruz will probably be done by then which then leaves us with maybe a number 2 starter and an average SS but no supporting cast. With AA Segura, we are setting up to win now. Now Dipoto needs to sign Napoli, Jason Hammel and Boone Logan and that will have been a great offseason
Completely agree. I love the trade. Walker and Marte could end up being good, but I don’t see that happening for 3 or 4 years. By that time Felix and Cruz will probably be done by then which then leaves us with maybe a number 2 starter and an average SS but no supporting cast. With AA Segura, we are setting up to win now. Now Dipoto needs to sign Napoli, Jason Hammel and Boone Logan and that will have been a great offseason
Whoa whoa whoa! TAIJUAN WALKER TRADED? I thought he was the M’s future ace
So did I and everyone.
Steal of the century for the d’backs.
LMFAO
How often do you see two players traded together twice(segura and haniger)
Haniger was part of the Parra trade, not the Segura trade.
I’ve been Ms fan since day one, stunning list of high profile , can’t miss players who missed. Both players have way underperformed, maybe a little soon on Marte. I’m willing to trust Jerry D. for now, but Ms list of underperforming GMs is long too.
Wow never seen that coming
Looks like a fair trade to me.. If last year was a fluke for Segura, Seattle could get goosegged. But if they have a .800 OPS Shortstop, then they got a steal.
Overall, I like Seattle’s side better in this deal, but it’s close.
It’s definitely a gamble for both teams. If last year was Segura’s baseline going forward then the mariners came out winning this trade.
The DBacks are obviously hoping Walker lives up to his prospect build as TOR arm however they’ve got Mike Butcher as their pitching coach and he is NOTORIOUS for handling pitchers poorly.
There’s no coincidence that Butchers first year in ARI coincided with Greinke, Miller, and Corbin ALL posting the worst numbers of their careers. Butcher Idk how/why ARI hasn’t looked towards him for their pitchers failing last year.
To be fair, Arizona is a brutal place to pitch. Second only to Coors.
I could see this turning out well for both teams. Very interested to see how this one pans out.
This will be a interesting trade to watch.
Now what does whereslou think about this?
I am going to sit back and see. Not excited to trade away a young pitcher who COULD be an ace but has a spotty health history. Marte will be a very good SS and he wasn’t our biggest areas of need. But you have heard that song from me before. There has to be another move coming.
We need an upgrade at SP now and still need another real OFer. Along with a lefty in the BP. The one thing it does show is there is still money to spend and the new owners will spend it to bring a winning team to Seattle. I think this shows they want it quick and they need to keep pace with Houston and Texas.
Horrible trade for the Mariners
Love Haniger, but think they could have gotten him for a LOT less. Walker and Marte together should have gotten them a way bigger package.
Seattle isn’t done dealing yet. They need to get over the hump and win the West, too many years of high expectations, only to come up short. Segura will be a good addition, I’m a little surprised they gave up on Walker, but I’m sure they’ll add another pitcher soon.
Good Trade for both Teams. Danny V. can also play IF.
Good trade for both teams. It helps SEA short-term and it probably helps ARI long-term. Mariners have one of the best infields in baseball right now with Seager, Cano, Segura, and if Vogelbach can hit then damn (if not Valencia will slug it just fine.). Good job Mariners. The ALWest is loading up.
Not saying Vogelbach will be a perennial all star slugger but I think he’s being taken lightly by those on the outside looking in. When I hear the “experts” talk about the Mariners projected lineup I always here about some failed corner infielder or outfielder taking over at 1st. Play Vogelbach he is an on-base machine who can rake.
Interesting trade with a fair amount of excitement/optimism and regret/fear from followers of both teams. Health, work ethic and performance growth (or not) will determine who wins. Serious risk (to the upside and down) for both teams.
Wow. Quite a haul for the DBacks. Segura was terrific last year but was one of the very worst players in baseball the two years before that. I know his son passed and that must have contributed a bit but he also went to a great hitters park and now he’s moving the opposite direction.
Surprised that with the M’s thin rotation they’d let Walker go but they must have a plan. Hammel?
If Seattle becomes a serious contender, it will probably be in spite of their upper management.
Talk about lopsided trade holy cow. Dbacks won this trade. Seattle downgraded in every aspect. Lol
Walker had a HR problem in Seattle. He’s likely going to have that problem in Arizona too.
I am curious to see if walker can perform – he is going from a pitcher’s park to one of the more hitter friendly parks in the NL
Well that may be true but everyone else in the NL West outside of the Rockies plays in a Pitchers park so it will even it self out.
Literally the only player mentioned who I want to hear about is Pat Venditte.
This is a great trade for the DBacks. Segura has 2 years of control while Walker and Marte are 24
2012 – 166 PA, .302 BABIP, .278 wOBA
2013 (1st) – 397 PA, .349 BABIP, .369 wOBA
2013 (2nd) – 226 PA, .285 BABIP, .258 wOBA
2014 – 557 PA, .275 BABIP, .272 wOBA
2015 – 584 PA, .298 BABIP, .267 wOBA
2016 – 694 PA, .353 BABIP, .371 wOBA
Okay, so outside last season and the 1st half of 2013, Segura has been an *extremely* consistent ~.275-.300 BABIP guy putting up a .260-.280 wOBA
And what does he project to for 2017? Well, not surprisingly,
Steamer – 645 PA, .316 BABIP, .319 wOBA
That would be a bit of a bump, but not dramatically over his extremely consistent career line. That projected line in 2016 would have put him in the bottom few of the qualified 2B as well; lumped in a virtual tie with the likes of Johnathan Schoop, Brandon Phillips, Scooter Gennett and Starlin Castro
That Segura is already expected to make in the $7.5mm range in 2017 and has just 2 years of control overall (likely costing at minimum around 2/$15-20) …well, he is quite a gamble
That Seattle gave up 4 years of an already Average pitcher with tremendous upside potential plus an upside SS with 5 years control …I just dont like it much. I understand it is a desperate win-now type move, but even in a rather best case scenario they would probably be breaking about even on value received and I have to imagine the Walker/Marte package could have acquired a much more sure thing for said value
That’s what I’m thinking — or if Seattle just wanted to cash out on Walker, they could have gotten a much better deal from someone else.
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I’m okay with this for the M’s. Segura doesn’t strike out much and gives our lineup a huge boost. Sure Walker has shown glimpses but who’s to say that he will pitch better than Karns or Miranda this upcoming season?
And it’s all about this year for the M’s. Cruz and Cano aren’t getting any younger
Segura for Walker looks about right. Two players with about the same upside. Pitching is too hard to find so the Mariners are taking a big risk here. Felix is on the decline and Walker has had some injury problems.
Looks like the M’s gave up on Walker developing a secondary pitch. Hopefully the DBacks can help him do that. If he doesn’t develop a pitch other than his fastball I think he is a bullpen option as he cannot get outs if he doesn’t locate the fastball very well.
very interesting; Walker certainly not helped going from Seattle to Arizona, Segura going back to shortstop..
Seattle looks to have a real nice lineup in place next year, but a pretty empty rotation. Even if Felix and Iwakuma find the fountain of youth and Paxton miraculously makes it through the season healthy.
finally a true baseball trade
So right
Hawgs
Go somewhere else, and don’t be like “I never said anything wrong” again because over on the football pages I even showed you what you said.
It’s so funny looking at the comments I’m seeing “terrible trade for the Mariners” and “Horrendous deal for the Diamondbacks”. This is how I feel, we just have to wait and see, Jean Segura has solidified himself as an above average middle-infielder. Taijuan Walker and Ketel Marte haven’t lived up to their potential but they have a really good contract (Team Wise) and have time to live up to what they are projected to play like. Basically I’m saying we won’t see how this deal works out until we see playing time in Arizona from Taijuan and Marte. Also when we see Segura play in the AL and a harder stadium to hit bombs in.
DBacks should go ahead and claim Vendette too…. just in case he actually figures it out this year. There’s a lot of appeal in having a pitcher like him if he can actually pitch
If Walker can live up to his hype with the dbacks, then I think you should pencil in the dbacks for maybe a wildcard spot
The Dbacks missed a wildcard spot by 18 games last year and they just traded one of their best hitters (obviously, Goldschmidt and Pollock are better). I don’t see how this makes them a serious wildcard contender.
From an outside perspective, it feels like after Walker has been connected to many big trades over the years, and he is finally traded for Jean Segura with only 2 years of control left?
Is this what happens when you hold onto a heralded prospect too long (if that is such a thing)?
It’s just what happens with all prospects. Even at the top, it’s rare to find above average players.
I like this deal from the Dbacks’ perspective, because Walker still has quite a bit of upside and Marte is young and could yet turn into a productive player. I don’t understand this from Seattle’s side, though. It’s not like they’re overloaded with good starting pitching, and it seems like Walker had more upside than a lot of the garbage they were trotting out there last year in the 4th and 5th slots of the rotation.
Heck, I guess it all depends on whether the Mariners are getting the 2013/2016 Jean Segura or the 2014-15 one. And I have no idea which one is the real Segura.
This is a crapshoot for both teams, Segura had a good year after a couple of poor ones, Walker has been a top prospect that hasn’t been healthy and Marte is still young and with lots of potential, it could go either way, my opinion is if Walker can get healthy it’s a steal for Arizona
Looks like a good trade for both teams to me, the Mariners are closer to making the playoff so Segura makes sense, the D-Backs need to have everything go right to compete with the Giants and Dodgers.
@Mollysdad, would you rather have an inconsistent and inexperienced Marte start for them, because if you would, be my guest and call Dipoto. Have a remake. Arizona gets Walker and Segura, and Seattle gets Marte, Curtis, and Haniger, none of them have the experience to help the Mariners to a playoff push.
Mariners definitely got the best of this deal the way I see it. At least Segura has improved as of late.
As a Giants fan i got to see him hit single after single up the middle against us.
I’m not high on either Walker or Segura.…BUT….AZ definitely landed the guy (Walker) who could be a steal if he takes the next step. I’m not sure Segura has anywhere to go but back.
I really wonder if the M’s talked to many other teams because they probably could have gotten more than the AZ package. Maybe they were really set on Segura….I just don’t see risking a young arm for him….even if that young arm has under performed.
Over one year later. This trade greatly benefited both teams.