Padres new-look OF is improved, but still work to be done

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HOUSTON, TEXAS – OCTOBER 10: Padres Tommy Pham #29 of the Tampa Bay Rays flies out against the Houston Astros during the third inning in game five of the American League Division Series at Minute Maid Park on October 10, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

The San Diego Padres have been busy trying to rebuild the outfield this season. We take a look at what they’ve done so far and what’s left to be done.

It’s been a busy couple of weeks for A.J. Preller and the San Diego Padres as they try to navigate through the trade market to improve this team for 2020 and the future.

In the past couple of weeks they’ve traded for two outfielders and a second baseman, while also signing a relief pitcher in an effort to make them contenders in 2020.

Coming into the offseason, one of the biggest priorities for Preller was to re-work an outfield that struggled mightily in 2019.

Padres outfielders ranked 20th in all of baseball last season with a combined WAR of 4.4, according to FanGraphs.

They did hit the 10th most home runs as an outfield, but they also ranked third in strikeout percentage at 27.4 percent.

And they ranked 25th in OBP with a .308 mark that the front office is desperate to improve in 2020.

Wil Myers, Manuel Margot, and Hunter Renfroe were the primary outfielders for the Padres in 2019 with Franmil Reyes and Josh Naylor each playing more than 90 games as well.

Only Reyes hit better than .250 and he was traded to the Cleveland Indians during the 2019 season. Myers was the only one with an OBP over .320.

Something had to be done to change this pattern in the offseason, and it’s clear Preller is on his way to fixing this problem.

Let’s take a look at what the outfield could look like right now in 2020, and then what work is left to be done.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JULY 06: (L-R) Manuel Margot #7, Hunter Renfroe #10 and Wil Myers #4 of the San Diego Padres celebrate in the outfield after the MLB game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on July 06, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. The Padres defeated the Dodgers 3-1. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images) /

Current outfield construction

Once the Pham trade is made official, that will once again give the Padres eight outfielders on their 40-man roster.

Of those eight, six will likely be fighting for five spots on the Opening Day active roster.

Pham and Myers are certainly a lock for a starting spot at this point, but the problem with that is they both have primarily played left field in their careers.

One would have to move to right field, and that’s most likely going to be Myers who has more experience there.

That leaves center field open in what looks to be a platoon situation between Manuel Margot and Trent Grisham.

Margot has been much better against left-handed pitchers in his career hitting .278 against them with a .775 OPS.

It was a very short sample size for Grisham in his big league debut in 2019, but he did hit better against righties with a .234 average and .333 OBP — granted his averages weren’t great against either.

Josh Naylor and Franchy Cordero would battle for the fifth outfield spot on the active roster.

That outfield certainly seems like an upgrade over last season’s group, but I wouldn’t say it’s a dramatic difference.

Even if you count on a bounce-back season from Myers, I would expect this outfield to combine for a WAR of around 6, which would still rank in the bottom half of the league.

That’s why I think there is still more work to be done in the outfield this offseason.

SAN DIEGO, CA – SEPTEMBER 12: Wil Myers #4 of the San Diego Padres walks to the dugout after being ejected from the game during the ninth inning of a baseball game against Chicago Cubs at Petco Park September 12, 2019 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images) /

Still work to be done

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While the current outfield construction is an upgrade from 2019, really all Preller has done so far is swap Hunter Renfroe with Tommy Pham and find a platoon partner with Margot.

And if you could count on Francy being healthy, he’d be just as good of a platoon partner in center.

So I still think there is a lot of work to be done in the outfield in order to make it a strength in 2020.

Getting Pham is a significant upgrade and should help with the OBP totals.

But Myers is still a black hole in the outfield and on the payroll unless you expect him to return to his 2016 form when he as a 3 WAR player.

That’s basically what the Padres need to complete this outfield rebuild, another 3 WAR player to pair with Pham.

My belief is that Preller is trying really hard to move Myers and his contract any way that he can.

That would open up the door for San Diego to go out and get a big bat for right field.

Starling Marte was a 3 WAR player in 2019 and the Pittsburgh Pirates are apparently looking for catching help in return for him.

That’s just one possible option and there are several others they could go after.

Point being, this outfield reconstruction process isn’t finished. I think the next move is to trade Myers and then find a 3 WAR player to replace him in right field.

Next. Padres close to trading for OF Pham. dark

Let me know if you think the outfield re-construction is finished or if there’s more to come in the comments below.

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The San Diego Padres have been busy trying to rebuild the outfield this season. We take a look at what they’ve done so far and what’s left to be done.

Current outfield construction

Still work to be done

More from Friars on Base

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