Will Smith agrees to 1/$1.475MM contract ... avoids arbitration

[logan82]

What you think of Segura comes down to what you think of his defense. I don't have my Baseball Prospectus book in front of me, but they love his offense, so they have him with minor but positive value. Fangraphs doesn't like his defense, so they have him at replacement level. Any discussion of Segura's value should at least acknowledge that difference of opinion.

 

Obviously he hasn't produced anything offensively, but we aren't in the golden age of ss offense any more. Segura was at the bottom of starting ss offensive rankings last year, but a lot of other guys were pretty bad.

Do you mean his defense?

[Point Beer Is Best]

I thought this thread would end up debating on the best use for Smith (high-leverage relief pitcher vs the rotation, or if he's a core piece vs. being a trade chip) but it ended up being another Segura thread.

 

You guys rick-rolled me again!

[pacopete4]

The best use for Smith is to trade him, now. He's got a low salary figure and is very good, especially against lefties.

[monty57]

I thought this thread would end up debating on the best use for Smith (high-leverage relief pitcher vs the rotation, or if he's a core piece vs. being a trade chip) but it ended up being another Segura thread.

 

You guys rick-rolled me again!

 

Ha Ha. That was quite a hijacking.

 

As to Smith, there is no way a lefty setup guy should be considered a "core piece." He's pretty cemented into a reliever role, and we have enough MLB ready starters that I don't see him getting a chance as a starter. He is in his first year of arby, so we have control through the 2018 season.

 

To me, it really depends on the market for him. The trick is that we know Smith is an MLB player, and we probably wouldn't get a huge return for him. If we could get a good return for him, then take it. However, if we can't get a good return, then there's no reason to trade him just because he's hitting arby. Unlike Lucroy (huge potential return that could vanish with another concussion) or Lind (final season, potential QO candidate, back injury risk), there is little risk in holding on to Smith, and there is reason to believe that a desperate team could overpay at the deadline for a dominant lefty reliever.

 

So, he won't be here four years from now. If we get a good offer trade him now, but it's perfectly okay to start the season - and maybe even next season - with him on the MLB roster.