Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun has played multiple positions throughout his MLB career. He started off at third base, moved to left field and began taking over in right field two seasons ago. He could be moving back to left field after the team dealt Khris Davis to the Oakland Athletics.
Braun has also been the subject of trade rumors as the Brewers continue to rebuild, but his five-year, $105 million extension starts in 2016 and it's widely assumed very few MLB clubs, if any, would be willing to take on such a commitment given his age (32) and previous involvement with performance-enhancing drugs.
As a result, he's probably stuck in Milwaukee barring a surprise, so the Brewers are going to have to utilize him as best they can. A move back to left field could be what's in store for Braun in 2016.
"That could be a possibility," general manager David Stearns told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "We're still discussing our various options."
"It's fair to say we're discussing all possibilities with our outfield alignment."
Braun isn't exactly a good defender, having accumulated a -6.4 dWAR during his nine-year MLB career. His time spent in the outfield has resulted in a -3.4 dWAR, so putting him in the most favorable position that fits his strengths is probably what the team is aiming to do. Haudricourt says outfielder Domingo Santana's strong arm could be better suited for right field now that Davis is out of the picture.
"Another consideration is that Braun is coming off back surgery and left field might be less taxing, especially in regard to making long throws," Haudricourt added. "Manager Craig Counsell and Stearns will talk with Braun first and see how he feels about possibly moving back to left."
Right now the Brewers' depth chart lists Braun in right, Kirk Nieuwenhuis in center and Rymer Liriano in left. Santana is listed as the backup for each outfield position, but the 23-year-old is likely to play a bigger role in 2016 after coming over in a deadline trade with the Houston Astros.
Most of Santana's experience in the minor leagues came in right field, where he played 512 of his 699 career games since beginning his professional career as a 16-year-old in 2009. Rather than toy with his development, moving him to right field could be the best decision for the Brewers since they have other veterans on the roster capable of playing the other outfield positions.
