Any way you look at it, the Braves’ outfield appears overcrowded for 2016, particularly with a recent decision to move Hector Olivera from third base to left field.
If Olivera takes over in left – that’s how the Braves are expected to go – it would obviously eliminate a lot of potential playing time for aging veterans Nick Swisher, who’s owed $15 million in 2016, and Michael Bourn, owed $14 million.
It’s the final year of contracts those two signed with the Indians, deals that contain options for 2017 that won’t vest because neither player will get the 550 plate appearances in 2016 required for vesting.
The Braves have veteran Nick Markakis in right field, entering the second season of a four-year, $44 million contract. He’s not going anywhere and can be expected to play virtually every day.
There’s also third baseman/left fielder Adonis Garcia, their top home-run hitter in the second half last season as a 30-year-old rookie. With Olivera in left it should open clear some playing time for Jordan at third base, unless the Braves sign or trade for a third baseman.
In center they have Cameron Maybin, for whom the Braves turned down multiple trade proposals prior to the July 31 trade deadline, when he was just beginning to cool from a 10-week surge that propelled him to the best season of his career. Maybin is owed $8 million in 2016, and there’s a $9 million team option for 2017 with a $1 million buyout.
Then there is the matter of Dian Toscano, the Cuban free-agent signee from a year ago who’s finally cleared to play and has three years remaining on a four-year contract. He’s a fourth-outfielder type who’ll likely need some time in Triple-A before he’s brought up.
Also in the wings is a potential impact player for many years to come, speedy center-field prospect Mallex Smith, who could be in the majors by summer. He hit .306 with a .373 OBP, eight triples and 57 stolen bases (70 attempts) during 126 games between Double-A and Triple-A.
“Mallex Smith had a great year for us,” Coppolella said of the former Padres prospect, who had a minors-leading 88 stolen bases in 2014 in Single-A. “If he continues to play this way for us, he’s going to be up sooner rather than later. He went up to Triple-A, struggled early, finished with a fury, and I think he has a chance to make an appearance in the big leagues at some point next season. He’ll be a player I really look forward to seeing in spring training.”
Smith could have a couple of spring-training mentors in Bourn and Maybin, but it also wouldn’t surprise if at least one of them is traded. As overcrowded as an outfield might seem with Olivera, Markakis, Maybin, Bourn and Swisher, and Toscano and Smith on the way, the Braves insist it’s tenable.
“I think all these guys fit well together as a group,” Coppolella said. “Swisher is really good from the right side, can play some first base. (First baseman) Freddie (Freeman) got hurt last year; we’re hoping he stays healthy, but if he’s not Swisher provides good insurance at first base. And Bourn … (hitting coach) Kevin Seitzer keeps track of quality plate appearances; Bourn had the highest quality plate-appearance percentage of any player we had. Just hit into a lot of bad luck. Both Swisher and Bourn are in contract years, so they’ll be highly motivated to have great years.
“And beyond that, we see the rest of the guys as core players – Maybin, Markakis, those are guys that turned into core players for us. We turned down three or four deals at the trade deadline for Cameron Maybin, because we don’t want to trade him.”
Don’t want to, but might they decide they need to?
Maybin hit .321 with five homers, 39 RBIs, a .383 OBP and a .436 slugging percentage in 63 games from April 28 through July 9, then .235/.286/.303 with two homers and 15 RBIs in his final 64 games. He still finished with career highs in average (.267), OBP (.327), home runs (10) and RBIs (59).
His salary will be a bargain if he plays like he did much of last summer, when Maybin’s trade value peaked but the Braves resisted the temptation to deal. Coppolella and Braves president of baseball operations John Hart say they don’t regret that decision, even after Maybin’s statistical decline in the second half and their abundance of veteran outfielders.
“Look, I think you saw last year, if it’s the right price we’ll trade just about anybody,”Coppolella said. “But we aren’t looking to trade Cameron Maybin.”
There’s a difference between a team saying it’s not looking to trade someone, and saying they flat-out won’t trade someone. Folks around baseball believe the Braves will listen to offers on Maybin. They almost have to, unless willing to eat most of the remaining salary owed to Bourn and/or Swisher, which is what at it would likely take to trade either.
“We are not looking to move anybody,” Hart said Monday of the outfield situation. “I think we can play with what we have. I think (teams) are going to look at us and say, they have a lot of outfielders. We’ll see. But we’re not looking to move anybody.”
The Braves agreed to take Bourn and Swisher at the trade deadline not because they needed them, but as a means of dumping third baseman Chris Johnson’s contract that runs through 2017. Johnson was owed $7.5 million in 2016 and $9 million in 2017, with a $10 million team option for 2018 that included a $1 million buyout.
The Indians sent about $15 million to the Braves in the deal to offset the difference in what was owed to Bourn and Swisher and to Johnson. It meant the Braves took on added payroll for the 2016 season, which they were willing to do for more flexibility in 2017, eliminating the $9-$10 million that Johnson would’ve been owed that year.
The Braves plan a significant payroll increase in 2017 and want a contending team in that first year of their new ballpark.
