San Diego Padres: Who's the odd man out of the outfield picture?

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Manuel Margot #7 of the San Diego Padres. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images) /

The San Diego Padres have created a ton of depth in the outfield, but there are only so many positions to go around. Who will be the odd man out?

One of the biggest tasks for San Diego Padres GM A.J. Preller this offseason is trying to figure out the situation in the outfield.

Their best outfielder, based on WAR, from 2019 was Hunter Renfroe with a WAR of 1.9. He’s since been traded this offseason, which leaves Manuel Margot as the top returning outfielder after posting a WAR of 1.6 last season.

To say that the San Diego outfield was a mess in 2019 would be putting it lightly.

And the one player out there who seemed to have figured everything out in Franmil Reyes they traded in the middle of the season. But I can understand that move because Reyes is not a great defender and is perfect for the DH in the American League.

Padres outfielders combined for 4.4 WAR last year, which ranked 20th in all of baseball. They hit a combined .236/.308/.434.

However, they were 10th among team outfields with 98 home runs, but they were also 28th in strikeout percentage striking out almost 28 percent of the time.

So Preller has been on a mission this offseason to shake things up out there, but it’s now created an area where there is seemingly too many bodies for so few spots.

Unless other moves are made this offseason, and I suspect there will be, we could see six-to-eight players fighting for possibly five roster spots in Spring Training.

Tommy Pham #29 of the Tampa Bay Rays. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /

The competitors

The list of players battling it out in the outfield will be: Tommy Pham, Manuel Margot, Wil Myers, Trent Grisham, Franchy Cordero, and Josh Naylor.

You could also throw Abraham Almonte, Taylor Trammell, and Edward Olivares into the mix, but they are long shots at this point.

The locks:

Pham is the only one guaranteed a starting spot at this point. As long as he is healthy he will be the primary left fielder for the Padres all season long.

Center field battle:

In my opinion, Manuel Margot is the only true center fielder the Padres have.

Franchy Cordero and Trent Grisham are capable of playing there, but they both profile better as corner outfielders.

I don’t know enough about Trammell and Olivares to say whether or not they can stick in center, and neither are likely to break camp on the Opening Day roster.

Trammell certainly has the speed and range to cover center, the only question with him is his arm.

After watching several Winter League games of Franchy in left field, I’d say he needs to stay in a corner spot. Even his defense in left was shaky in the few games I watched.

Right field battle:

This is where things get even more complicated. You have Myers, Naylor, Cordero, and Grisham all likely battling for time in right.

Naylor is someone who has received a lot of love lately. Our own Cheri Bell pegged him as the starting right fielder to open the season, as did Dennis Lin of The Athletic (subscription required).

His left-handed power potential is probably what has people excited, but his defense was just as bad as Franmil’s.

If Preller is unable to trade Myers, you have to figure he’s going to play or at least get the majority of the starts in right.

Franchy Cordero #33 of the San Diego Padres. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) /

Who’s in and who’s out

The Padres will likely keep five outfielders on the Opening Day roster, which will give them the flexibility to mix-and-match depending on who is on the mound.

Who’s in

Pham, Margot, Grisham, Cordero, and Myers are the five I’m taking right now.

As I already said, Pham starts every day in left. And then you can platoon with Grisham and Margot in center and Cordero and Myers in right.

Against lefties you could roll out Margot in center and Myers in right. And then against righites you could put Grisham in center and Cordero in right.

Who’s out

Naylor, Olivares, Trammell, and Almonte are my odd men out.

I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Naylor is being pushed in trade talks to American League teams similar to Franmil this past season.

He has a chance to be a good hitter, and maybe if we weren’t locked into Eric Hosmer at first base he could stick around. But Hosmer isn’t going anywhere, and Naylor isn’t an outfielder.

Almonte is strictly Minor League depth in case injuries strike, and he’s not bad depth to have.

Ollivares and Trammell may have a little more to prove in the minors first, but both could break through during the season.

In the end, I think Pham, Grisham, and Myers are your starting outfielders to start the season.

You don’t make that trade for Grishman to let him sit on the bench. And he’s a good OBP guy, which is what the Padres need.

They’re paying Myers too much money, and he can be a productive player, not to give him the first shot out there.

Thinking optimistically, I think this outfield can combine for close to 10 WAR in 2020, which would push for a Top 15 outfield in baseball.

They will certainly improve upon their terrible .308 OBP from last season and could push closer to .325-.330.

Next. Which non-roster guys break through. dark

Let me know your thoughts on the Padres outfield situation in the comments below.

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San Diego Padres: Who’s the odd man out of the outfield picture?

The San Diego Padres have created a ton of depth in the outfield, but there are only so many positions to go around. Who will be the odd man out?

The competitors

Who’s in and who’s out

Schedule