Could the Jean Segura signing open up an Angels trade for a Marlins infielder?

The Miami Marlins signed Jean Segura to a two-year $17 million dollar deal. This signing is interesting as the Marlins already had their second baseman of the future in Jazz Chisholm. With Segura being a poor defender at short and with just 24 games played at third could Miami be looking to move Chisholm back to his old position of shortstop? If so, this opens up a lot of possibilities for a trade with the Los Angeles Angels.

The Marlins have two infielders who could be of interest to the Halos. Miguel Rojas is a gold-glove caliber defender at shortstop, it's very possible he was just moved to a bench role. Joey Wendle is probably their third baseman right now but he's received trade interest and has experience playing shortstop as well as second base and third base.

The Angels have a ton of infield depth but lack a true shortstop. Could the two sides match up in a trade for one of Rojas or Wendle?

Could the Jean Segura signing open up an LA Angels trade for a Marlins infielder?

The Marlins could very easily be looking to move one or both of Rojas and Wendle, and the Angels should be calling on both players. Neither is the flashy option fans might want, but they are upgrades over what they currently have.

Rojas is not a good hitter at all. He slashed .236/.283/.323 with six home runs and 36 RBI this past season. Something he does do well that most Angels hitters do not is avoid strikeouts, as he struck out just 61 times in 507 plate appearances. His 73 WRC+ is very bad but it's better than Angels shortstops last season as they had a 68 WRC+.

Where Rojas shines is with his glove. He ranked in the 98th percentile in outs above average. He also recorded 15 DRS and only committed seven errors all season.

Rojas is just as poor of a hitter as someone like David Fletcher, but the defense at shortstop is better. Rojas is also a leader with respect around the game.

The other option the Angels should be calling about is Joey Wendle. While he's not a primary shortstop, he'd give the Angels more firepower offensively than Rojas.

The situation I'd want Wendle to play in is against right-handed pitching. He struggled this past season dealing with injuries but still put up a semi-respectable 90 WRC+ against righties. The seasons prior is where he shined there, as Wendle had a 118 WRC+ in 367 plate appearances in 2021 and a 121 WRC+ in 146 plate appearances in the shortened 2020 season. Wendle has a 106 career WRC+ against righties.

If the Angels were to platoon Wendle with David Fletcher who performs much better against lefties, all of a sudden they could be league-average offensively at that position.

Wendle doesn't take too much defensively either as he ranked in the 83rd percentile in outs above average and had 6 DRS at shortstop this past season. He's an above-average defender anywhere you put him, including shortstop.

Neither of these players will hit you 20 homers or win a Silver Slugger but in the right roles (Rojas hitting ninth, Wendle playing against RHP) they can be successful and upgrades over what the Angels have. Considering the fact that they're both probably on the block, it likely won't cost much to acquire either player.