SAN DIEGO _ The reasons to deal Wil Myers, the one-time face of the Padres, continue to pile up as the team eyes a possible rebuild finish line in, say, 2020.
There's a pay package that spikes from $11.5 million this season (including the final installment of his signing bonus) to $20 million for the three after that. There are resurfacing, nagging worries about durability after Myers played in just 83 games in 2018. There's the PR black eye from comments criticizing manager Andy Green during _ how do you make this up? _ a live-streaming video game.
There are his offensive stats, mostly stuck in neutral. There's the lack of clubhouse-leadership wiring. There's all that power and speed, mostly muted.
More than anything, though: There are too many corner outfielders. The team is playing the long game with Hunter Renfroe, Franmil Reyes and Franchy Cordero, the group's Swiss Army Knife.
When a source told me that talks with the Mariners about a possible deal involving shortstop Jean Segura sparked around the time of the General Manager meetings in Carlsbad, it made all kinds of sense.
Segura brings a higher on-base percentage, an area the Padres desperately are trying to improve (albeit with a lower slugging percentage). He played in an average of nearly 38 more games per season the last six years. Defensively, it's closer to 42 more.
On paper, he seems a perfect "bridge" guy at shortstop until Fernando Tatis Jr. arrives. Segura also has played second, but Tatis Jr. owns the frame for third if needed _ although that hasn't been the Padres preference in the past. The move, one way or another, would provide valuable options.
The whispered trade anchors are basically the same age, with Segura nearly doubling Myers in the "wins above replacement" metric for last season and their careers. Sprinkle in traction and momentum: Segura was an All-Star last season, which was no small feat in a league that included shortstops Manny Machado and Francisco Lindor.
The source acknowledged that talks continue, though nothing appears imminent. A possible deal could include Seattle innings-eater Mike Leake, of Fallbrook High School. He's essentially a .500 win-loss guy and a 4-something ERA guy. The needle kept scratching out that same tune a season ago, as the right-hander finished 10-10 with a 4.36.
Across his nine-year career, though, Leake's season average for innings pitched hovers at a sturdy 181.
Yet, trade barriers remain: The teams would need to navigate through the no-trade clauses of both Mariners. The Padres also are locked in due-diligence mode to determine if there's any baggage associated with Segura. In September, multiple reports indicated Segura and teammate Dee Gordon brawled in the clubhouse before a game against the Orioles.
The upside offers plenty of up, though.
When the Mariners finalized an extension with Segura in June 2017 (he'll make $14.25 million over each of the next four seasons), general manager Jerry Dipoto called the player "a hit collector." Only 13 players in baseball cobbled together more hits last season than Segura. Two years before that, he rose to No. 3 _ behind just Jose Altuve and Mookie Betts.
Dipoto outlined Segura's potential, according to MLB.com: "Jean has all the tools to be a star-level player."
The move makes sense for Myers, too. The Padres can't seem to find a spot or comfort level with the former Rookie of the Year. There are flashes, like the All-Star season in 2016, but bouncing him from the outfielder to first base to, gulp, third did him zero favors.
The combination of a crowded outfield and pickup of first baseman Eric Hosmer raised plenty of red flags. Where do you play Myers ... when he can play? In the American League, Myers can DH when his health or glove keep him off the field defensively.
When the Padres signed Myers to a then-franchise-record $83 million, six-year contract in January 2017, general manager A.J. Preller offered: "We're really looking forward to the next six years to see the player we feel he's going to become." Green added: "I think we're very excited about the prospect of having him for years to come."
A third of the way through that contract, Myers could be gone.
That's the business, though. Yesterday's commitment is tomorrow's re-think. The dynamics and dominoes of it all stretch beyond one player. You add a piece here. You protect a piece there. Suddenly, you're reconsidering the piece that seemed almost untouchable.
Myers continues to be a "potential" guy. Segura is a now guy.
Pull the trigger.
