Orioles Sign Former Philly to Minor League Deal

The Philadelphia Phillies (69-46) are amid a three-game winning streak and looking for more this weekend, to build upon their MLB-best record. The Baltimore Orioles (68-48) find themselves in a skid, dropping five of their last 10, and in need of veteran depth. On Friday, the Orioles signed former Philly Jean Segura to a minor league contract.

Segura, 34, has not played affiliated baseball in over a year. He was released by the Cleveland Guardians (67-47) at the start of last year, and there have been no rumors or whispers about him signing with a Major League team leading up to Friday.

Having not played in affiliated baseball for so long, it is likely that Segura will start in High-A with the Fredrick Keys, or in Double-A with the Bowie Baysox to get his rhythm and timing back before joining the Triple-A Norfolk Tides.

Segura has played in 12 Major League seasons with six different teams. His most recent Major League action came with the Miami Marlins (43-73) in 2023.

With the Marlins, Segura batted .219/.277/.279 with three home runs, 21 RBI, and a 50 OPS+. The Marlins traded Segura along with Kahlil Watson to the Guardians on August 1st, 2023 to acquire Josh Bell . The Guardians would release Segura that same day.

In four seasons with the Phillies, Segura batted .281/.337/.418 with 43 home runs, 176 RBI, and a 102 OPS+.

Known for his bat-to-ball skills and ability to tally hits, Segura has batted .281/.327/.401 with 110 home runs, 513 RBI, and a 97 OPS+ across 5,937 plate appearances in 1,414 career games. He has struck out only 824 times, and only 100 or more times once in a single season, carrying a career K-rate of 13.9 percent.

Segura may be in the Orioles plans as a September call up for roster depth down the stretch, giving their young roster a veteran presence in the clubhouse. Segura has some playoff experience as a member of the 2022 Phillies who made it to the World Series.