Carlos Quentin's disappointing 2014 season officially came to an end on Monday, when he was transferred to the 60-day disabled list, but it really ended over a month earlier on July 26 when he struck out in his final at-bat of the year. He was placed on the 15-day DL the next day with a bone bruise in his left knee, and that was that.
This most recent, season-ending, DL trip was Quentin's second of the season. He was sidelined for San Diego's first 39 games with an injury to that same left knee. Although he managed to stay off the disabled list from May 13 through July 26, he received numerous days off, sometimes a few at a time, and occasionally went weeks between complete games. In that time, he appeared in a total of 50 games, the fewest he has played in a season. Not only were his counting stats accordingly the lowest he has ever posted, but so are his rate stats. Below are his 2014 numbers, along with his previous lows. In most cases, it's not even close.
| G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | HR | RBI | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | |
| 2014 | 50 | 155 | 130 | 9 | 23 | 6 | 4 | 18 | .177 | .284 | .315 | .599 |
| prev. low | 57 | 191 | 166 | 23 | 42 | 13 | 5 | 31 | .214 | .298 | .349 | .647 |
Ouch.
Quentin's poor showing didn't come out of the blue. His numbers have declined each of the three seasons he's been with the Padres, and in some cases it goes back farther than that. His games, at-bats, plate appearances, runs, home runs, RBI, and total bases have declined every season since 2010, when he set a career-high by appearing in 131 games.
The elephant in the room is Quentin's contract. He's owed $8 million next year and has a full no-trade clause. Fortunately from the team's standpoint, it is now impossible for him to play the needed 320 games from 2013-15 that would have triggered an $10 million option for 2016 with a buyout of $3 million. Most observers agree that Quentin would have his best chance of survival with an American League team as their DH, and Quentin was reportedly open to considering trades earlier this summer before he was re-injured, as Jon Heyman reported.
One would assume that this latest setback would make Quentin more open to returning to the American League, for the sake of self-preservation. With that in mind, it seems entirely possible that we've seen Carlos Quentin play his last game with the Padres. Wherever he is next year, I hope he can stay healthy. Whenever he does that, everything else falls into place.