Un-Crowding the Padres Outfield

(Photo via @SoloDeportes_1)

Cameron Maybin
Cameron Maybin believes he is the Padres’ best option in center field, which is interesting because it appears he’s the only person who believes that. Look, teams don’t make blockbuster trades to not use the guys they acquired. Kemp, Upton and Myers (again, assuming health) will play. A lot.

The “top prospect” luster has worn off Maybin, who has posted several years of bad numbers and frequent injuries. He has only played in 109 games in the last two seasons combined, he’s never hit higher than .264 in a season, he’s never hit double-digit home runs, he’s never logged more than 25 doubles, and he strikes out a lot. Kemp, Upton and Myers will all produce significantly more on offense than Maybin.

On the flip side, Maybin has speed (he stole 40 and 26 bases in his two full seasons, 2011 and 2012), and he’s a good defender. Taking away his 14-game season in 2013, Maybin recorded dWAR values of 2.0 (2011), 1.3 (2012) and 0.5 (2014) recently, indicating he’s pretty good with the glove. He can find success as a fourth outfielder, though he’s only ever played center field besides logging 80 innings as a left fielder in Detroit way back in 2007. While a good defending, athletic center fielder can get up to speed in the corner spots very quickly, Maybin hasn’t done it at all recently, and an ideal fourth outfielder could conceivably slide across multiple outfield positions (see: Venable, Will).

And, oh yeah, the contract. The Padres owe him $15 million in 2015 and 2016 combined, and have a team option for 2017 at $9 million (or a $1 million buyout). That’s far too much money to pay a fourth or fifth outfielder, and since we can already be relatively certain he’s not going to start over the newcomers, it’s far too much money to keep Maybin on the roster.

Trade Maybin. Maybin will turn 28 before Opening Day, so he’s the youngest of these three, but he’s also owed the most money. Considering the Dodgers are paying a significant portion of Kemp’s contract after the trade, a deal where the Padres would have to pay some of Maybin’s contract to another team might not hurt as badly as it otherwise would have.

The question, though, is whether Maybin (like Quentin) has any trade value for the Padres to make a deal. He’s far from the prospect he was once considered to be, and he’s on an extremely unfavorable contract for any team looking for a legitimate option in center field.

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Clearly, the Padres can’t break camp with all six outfielders. Kemp, Upton and Myers will start – and they should – and Venable presents the best and most reliable option as a backup, considering his contract, left-handed bat and dependable health history.

Liriano and Almonte, both of whom saw limited action in 2014, wait as possible call-ups or fifth outfielders that would each make the league minimum salary. These options deep down the bench, instead of Quentin and Maybin, would clear up the Padres’ outfield clutter and allow them to focus on improving the infield. Now, let’s see if Quentin or Maybin even have any trade value to make a deal worthwhile.

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