San Diego Padres: Solving the current outfield equation

The San Diego Padres came into the 2019 season trumpeting an abundance of talented outfielders who would have to compete for playing time and fight it out to be the outfielders for a contending team.

What happened next can only remind San Diego Padres fans of the heartbreak and frustration that has always accompanied following the team.

The one breakout outfielder of the first half of the season slumped in the second half, further prompting questions about his ability to sustain success and hit for a decent average.

Hunter Renfroe has since been traded for outfielder Tommy Pham and infielder Jake Cronenworth.

Franmil Reyes, a fan favorite and one of the highlight performers of the first half was traded to the Cleveland Indians for OF Taylor Trammell, the 30th ranked prospect on MLBPipeline.

This was a necessary trade for the Padres. Reyes has a tremendous personality and a powerful bat but is a DH and had to go to an AL team eventually.

Manuel Margot shows flashes of what he is capable of but has been woefully inadequate against right-handed pitching and has not fulfilled his promise as an elite defender in center field. He is, at best, a platoon player.

Travis Jankowski was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for international bonus cash.

Josh Naylor is a bat-first converted first baseman whose stocky build limits his agility and will limit his speed as he gets older. He would be best suited to go back to first base or become a DH for an AL team. He is not a long term solution in the outfield.

Franchy Cordero is where the heartbreak comes in. A true five-tool athlete with elite talent, Cordero can’t stay on the field. His history of injuries is long and all we have seen are flashes of his amazing skills. Padres fans dream of what the outfield would be if Franchy could stay healthy.

Wil Myers is a few ticks below Cordero in the skills department but an elite athlete nonetheless. For anyone reading this, I don’t have to go into detail regarding all the ways Myers has disappointed the Padres. Trading him to a new environment, which could actually help, seems impossible due to his cumbersome $22.5 million per year remaining contract.

If AJ Preller can pull that off and get anything in return for getting Myers off the books I will have underestimated him. If Myers starts the season as the Padres primary right fielder we will have another year to watch his periodic bursts of productivity coupled with his long stretches of futility.

The new guys

Tommy Pham comes to the Padres as one of the most productive of the Tampa Bay Rays players. He is a true left fielder with big offensive talents, an edgy personality, limited arm strength and a presence in the clubhouse.

If he can play equal to his career arc, the Padres have their best outfielder.

Trent Grisham came to the Padres, along with RHP Zach Davies, from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for IF Luis Urias and LHP Eric Lauer.

The bat first lefty, 23 years old, comes to the Padres from a playoff team where he was trying to survive an outfield blunder during the playoffs that cost the Brewers a costly run.

Grisham’s claim to fame as a highly rated Brewers prospect was his bat. But after struggling during his minor league career, Grisham made some adjustments to his batting grip and approach with dramatic improvements in his stats.

Grisham is basically an untried major league player. His short tenure with the Brewers tells us little about his ability to hit major league pitching.

His defense is average with an adequate arm and good speed. He can play all three outfield positions but his arm strength will limit him.

Spring training might determine if he starts the season with the major league squad or in Triple-A for more seasoning.