Hector Olivera: What Does Move to OF Mean for Braves?

The Atlanta Braves acquired Hector Olivera from the Los Angeles Dodgers before the 2015 Trade Deadline with the intention that that 30-year-old Cuban defector would become the club’s third-baseman of the future.

After debuting at third-base in early September for the Atlanta Braves, the early returns from Hector Olivera are mediocre at best. The third-baseman slashed .253/.310/.405 in 79 plate appearances, while also hitting 2 home-runs and recording 11 RBI’s. When the Braves traded for Hector Olivera, they paid a steep price in order to gain his services at third-base, trading away top infield prospect Jose Peraza, a young and effective left-handed starter in Alex Wood, as well as two solid relievers in Jim Johnson and Luis Avilan.

This week, it was reported that the Braves intend to move Hector Olivera from third-base to the outfield, throwing into question what exactly the club intends to do at both third-base and in the outfield. With Olivera no longer seen as a viable option at the hot corner due to his age and penchant for injury, left-field does seem the best solution for the club when handling Hector Olivera next season.

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Because of Hector Olivera’s shift to the outfield, does that mean that Cameron Maybin becomes a trade asset this offseason? With Nick Markakis entrenched in right-field with 3 years left on his deal, and a young Mallex Smith waiting in the wings to become the Braves’ leadoff hitter of the future, one has to believe that Cameron Maybin is the odd man out in this situation. Of course, the Braves can retain Maybin’s services if Mallex Smith is not ready to make the jump to The Show come Spring Training 2016, but at some point, the outfield situation gets dicey.

This also means that we can assume that Michael Bourn is no longer a part of the Atlanta Braves’ plans in 2016. The 32-year-old outfielder was re-acquired by the Braves in August with Nick Swisher in exchange for Chris Johnson, and saw significant playing time in the final two months of the season. Though he is no longer the explosive player he was in Houston or in his first stint with the Atlanta Braves, Bourn still could have some value as a trade asset.

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With Hector Olivera no longer seen as the Atlanta Braves third-baseman of the future, does Adonis Garcia get a shot at becoming the club’s starter at the hot corner? Garcia’s bat was one of the few good surprises for the Atlanta Braves in the second half, where the journeyman infielder had a slash line of .277/.293/.497 with 11 homers and 26 RBI’s in 191 AB’s. Garcia is similar to Olivera in that his defense is suspect at best; and while he had a great second half for the Braves, are these numbers sustainable over the course of a 162 game season?

Another option that has already been posited by my colleague Matthew Schoettler is that perhaps the organization now views Rio Ruiz as heir apparent at 3B for the Braves. The Braves acquired Ruiz from the Houston Astros last offseason in the Evan Gattis trade; and despite lackluster numbers at times during the 2015 season at the minor league level, Ruiz still possesses the raw power to give the Braves the impact bat that they covet. Ruiz is probably not ready to make the jump to the major league level in 2016, but a September call-up is likely if he continues to progress through the minors.

Next: Atlanta Braves: Shopping for 3B This Offseason?

In all, the shift of Hector Olivera from third-base to the outfield asks more questions than it answers, and throws into question what exactly the Atlanta Braves will do this offseason. Will we see a plethora of trades such as last offseason? Or will the club try to find internal options to solve it’s problems. With the MLB Winter Meetings and Hot Stove around the corner, anything is possible. Stay tuned.

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