Before yesterday’s game, Farhan Zaidi gave a thorough explanation for the outfielder turnover in the season’s first week and a half:
If you can’t watch the video, here it is in brief: they couldn’t trade for the players they wanted when they wanted them (before the season), so they got them when they could.
In the case of Kevin Pillar, it’s clear he’s someone the team targeted almost as soon as Farhan Zaidi’s nameplate replaced Bobby Evans’, but it’s unclear if Tyler Austin was a specific name they had on the board this offseason or if he merely fit their profile: a right-handed power hitting outfielder.