The Padres made yet another off-season splash this morning when they announced a trade with the Braves for outfielder Justin Upton. Along with recent trades to acquire Matt Kemp and Wil Myers, the Padres now have a fearsome outfield. Offensively speaking, that is.
Defense is another matter. As @AceballStats pointed out on Twitter, Upton was rated the best defender of the trio by Defensive Runs Saved... at 0.0. Myers clocked in at -7 and Kemp at -23. Further, neither is much of a centerfielder. Kemp has arthritic hips and Myers has logged only 53 innings in center compared to 1,279 in right field.
Naturally, the question “Who plays center field?” popped up and was promptly addressed by manager Bud Black. Myers is a possibility in center, per Dennis Lin of U-T San Diego. The plan is to have Kemp in right field and Upton in left. The Padres’ outfield defense should be interesting, to say the least. Who knows how many of the runs they gain on offense from the trio will be siphoned by poor defense in that spacious park of theirs.
