D-Backs GM: Segura made more sense for us than Kendrick

Though Jean Segura has struggled mightily at the plate since his impressive 2013 campaign, Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Dave Stewart still preferred to trade for the beleaguered shortstop than sign Howie Kendrick, whom the club had been linked to this offseason.

Stewart admitted to having interest in Kendrick, who re-signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier this week, but the acquisition cost proved too great for Arizona after signing Zack Greinke to a $206.5-million deal that also forced them to forfeit their first unprotected pick in the 2016 draft.

"We are not, right now, as financially solid as we'd probably like to be," Stewart told MLB Network Radio. "With the addition of Greinke, that did take some dollars out of our pocket. We were also considering the compensation pick - we also lost our first-round pick - and I think, as a group, we weren't willing to give up the comp pick."

Segura, who was acquired Saturday as part of a five-player swap with the Milwaukee Brewers, has been among the worst hitters in baseball since 2013, but Stewart is optimistic his newly acquired shortstop can help make up for the loss of Ender Inciarte, the outfielder shipped to Atlanta for Shelby Miller.

"I think we all had a little bit of discomfort where we are offensively," Stewart said. "We wanted to secure a little more offense if we could. Jean Segura has been a pretty good offensive player in the past. He was an All-Star. With an opportunity to make a move like that, we thought we would do it."

Stewart even suggested Segura is poised to be the Diamondbacks' regular shortstop in 2016, though replacing Inciarte's offensive production could still prove a big challenge for the 25-year-old. Since the start of 2014, only three qualified hitters own a lower OPS than Segura, whose swing metrics and contact profile continue to trend in the wrong direction.