Five Padres affected by the Reyes trade

LOS ANGELES -- As you may have heard, the Padres traded an outfielder and landed an outfielder on Tuesday.

But Taylor Trammell isn't going to fill the (literally) huge void left by Franmil Reyes. At least not immediately.

In fact, a huge factor in the Padres' decision to move Reyes was the opportunity it would provide for the organization’s other outfielders.

With that in mind, here are five Padres impacted in a big way by Reyes' departure and Trammell's arrival.

1) Hunter Renfroe

Two days ago, the Padres had two righty-hitting outfielders on pace to hit 40 homers in the middle of their lineup. They now have one.

"We always were pulling for each other," Renfroe said. "We wanted to see each other grow as players and be bright spots for this Padres offense. We both were that, and he's going to be missed."

In no uncertain terms, the Reyes trade means the Padres are committed to Renfroe. Because of their similar skill sets -- and the holes elsewhere on the roster -- it always seemed likely one of the two would be dealt.

The organization cast its lot with Renfroe, though it certainly wasn't an easy call. Renfroe is three years older, but he's a far superior defender. He's been worth 3 wins above replacement this season while posting an .857 OPS and 29 homers, going into Thursday's game against the Dodgers.

That's an extremely valuable player. But without Reyes on board, the Padres can't afford any regression from Renfroe.

2) Josh Naylor

The immediate beneficiary of Reyes' departure is Naylor, who was recalled from Triple-A El Paso. In sporadic playing time, Naylor has batted .236/.287/.358, but his playing time figures to change significantly.

"When you're playing more consistently and you see pitches more often, you get a better feel," Naylor said. "Hopefully I can put together a few starts in a row and get hot a little bit and see where it goes from there."

Renfroe will anchor right field for the remainder of the season, but the other two outfield spots will probably see a rotation among Naylor, Wil Myers and Manuel Margot.

The Padres remain enamored with Naylor's offensive profile, despite his early struggles. He boasts excellent on-base skills along with some power. If Naylor thrives the way the Padres think he might, it will make Reyes’ departure a whole lot easier to stomach.

3) Wil Myers

In mid-June, Myers was relegated to a bench role, and he's started sparingly since. All along, manager Andy Green insisted Myers still had a huge part to play in the team's future.

So, this is what he meant.

Myers was somewhat blocked by Renfroe and Reyes. Now he'll get plenty of opportunity to rebound from a brutal first four months, in which he batted .221.

"It's a vote of confidence in Wil Myers to bounce back," Green said of the trade. "... We're excited to have him back in the mix a little more prominently."

Myers is owed $67.5 million over the next three seasons, meaning he was always a long shot to be traded. Now, he'll probably rotate between center and left, getting regular playing time with another chance to prove his worth.

4) Manuel Margot

Before batting practice every day, Margot and Reyes found a makeshift table in the clubhouse and played cards.

"I don't know what I'm going to do now," Margot said Thursday. "I don't have anybody to beat at cards."

If anything, Trammell's arrival sends something of a message to Margot. If he wants to establish himself as the Padres' long-term center fielder, he has a year left to do so.

When Trammell arrives in San Diego, he might be a center fielder or he might be a left fielder. That's somewhat dependent upon Margot's performance.

Margot's left/right splits are pronounced, and there's an argument that he's best suited for a fourth-outfielder role. He could start against lefties, while otherwise serving as a speed-and-defense threat off the bench. Margot can change that plan if he sustains some of his recent success.

5) A.J. Preller

The Padres general manager earned himself an awful lot of good will with regards to his prospect acquisitions. The Chris Paddack and Fernando Tatis Jr. trades are already two of the most lopsided of the past few years.

But Preller struck something of a nerve with this deal. Reyes was one of the most beloved Padres -- a fan-favorite even among casual San Diegans.

"We had a big-picture perspective of what we're trying to do," Preller said.

To put it bluntly: Preller needs to be right about Trammell, who has tremendous upside but has struggled in Double-A this year.

No question, Preller has cemented his reputation as an excellent evaluator of talent. But the Padres are dead-set on contending next season, and Preller must prove himself capable of building a complete roster. This move puts him under a microscope.