The Milwaukee Brewers and Arizona Diamondbacks have announced a trade. Here's the swap:
| January 30, 2016 | |||
| DIAMONDBACKS get: | BREWERS get: | ||
| SS Jean Segura P Tyler Wagner | P Chase Anderson 2B Aaron Hill SS Isan Diaz Cash considerations | ||
Segura, 25, was an All-Star in his 2013 breakout season, but he's had two poor years since. He hit .257/.281/.336 (68 OPS+) last season, and he even regressed defensively, posting a negative-3 in defensive runs saved along with 19 errors.
How he fits with Arizona is yet to be seen. The D-Backs have Nick Ahmed at short and Chris Owings at second. Neither is a threat with the bat, but Ahmed is an outstanding defender at short. Though he has experience at second, Arizona should keep him at short as the superior glove of the group. This could mean a shift to second for Segura as they hope he regains his 2013 form at the plate, when he hit .294/.329/.423 with 20 doubles, 10 triples and 12 homers. He's only 25, so it's possible.
The most recognizable name going back to the Brewers is Aaron Hill. He'll be 34 next season and hasn't shown his past All-Star form in a bit, hitting .230/.295/.345 last season. He does provide veteran stability for the rebuilding Brewers, though. No word just yet on the money exchanged, but Hill's $12 million salary for 2016 counts as a salary dump (surely the Brewers aren't taking all of it on, but it's possible they'll take a big chunk of it).
As for the vacated shortstop role in Milwaukee, Jonathan Villar can handle those duties until highly-touted prospect Orlando Arcia is ready to take over. Arcia is only 21 and hit .307/.347/.453 with 37 doubles, seven triples, eight homers and 25 steals in 129 Double-A games last season, so it might not be long.
Anderson will get a shot to join the rotation, and it seems likely that he does. For Arizona last season, he was 6-6 with a 4.30 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 111 strikeouts in 152 2/3 innings.
Diaz, 19, is a middle infielder who was Arizona's second-rounder in 2014. He's only 19, but hit .360/.436/.640 with 25 doubles and 13 homers in 68 games in rookie ball last season. So there's long-term potential there, but he won't be helping soon, which makes sense given where the Brewers are in their rebuild.
Wagner, the other player headed to Arizona with Segura, was shelled in three starts last season, going 0-2 with a 7.94 ERA. His final outing was a good one, though, as he worked six innings and allowed only one earned run against the Cubs. Prior to making his big-league debut late in the year, he was 11-5 with a 2.25 ERA in 25 Double-A starts.