Atlanta Braves to acquire Matt Kemp from San Diego Padres for Hector Olivera
The Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres will reportedly exchange bad contracts by swapping Matt Kemp and Hector Olivera.
The Atlanta Braves have agreed to acquire outfielder Matt Kemp from the San Diego Padres in exchange for third baseman and outfielder Hector Olivera. David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the deal will be complete after medical evaluations:
#Braves and #Padres have completed the Olivera-for-Kemp deal, pending physicals. Exactly 1 yr after Braves traded for Olivera from Dodgers.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) July 30, 2016
However, given Kemp’s extensive history of hip issues, those physicals might be more of a hurdle than usual, as O’Brien notes.
The trade is essentially a swap of bad contracts between the two clubs. The 31-year-old Kemp will make $21.75 million in each of the next three seasons, with the Dodgers picking up $3.5 million of the tab each year. Olivera is owed a total of $47,166,668 through 2020, though the Dodgers are responsible for $18.68 million of that as well.
According to the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Dennis Lin, the Padres will be sending $10-12 million to the Braves to offset some of Kemp’s salary.
Both Kemp and Olivera have endured trying times this season, albeit for very different reasons. Olivera played only six games before being suspended under the league’s domestic violence policy. He was arrested for the assault of a woman at a Washington, D.C. hotel on April 13. Major League Baseball slapped him with an 82-game suspension which will come to an end on August 2.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
The 31-year-old Cuban import has struggled in Atlanta since being dealt from the Dodgers a year ago. In a total of 30 games (108 PA), he has posted a .245/.296/.378 slash line with two home runs and 13 RBI. The Padres will hope to get something out of him when he returns.
The 2016 campaign has been somewhat of a mixed bag for Kemp. He’s seen an uptick in power; in 100 games he’s clubbed 23 homers, matching last year’s total and putting him in good position to amass his best tally since 2011 when he mashed an NL-leading 39. However, aside from the long balls, there’s not much else to enjoy about Kemp’s performance at the plate this year. He currently sports a .285 on-base percentage, which would be the lowest of his career.
Overall, Kemp has put up a .262/.285/.489 line while knocking in 69 runs. A .288 BABIP suggests he’s been a bit unfortunate, but his strikeout rate is up (23.2 percent) and his walk rate is significantly down (3.7 percent) from 2015. To his credit, Kemp has managed to stay relatively healthy over the past three seasons, but the arthritis in his hips and the fact that he is nearing his 32nd birthday remain difficult to ignore.
Both teams will likely get something they want out of this deal. The Padres trim payroll and open up an outfield spot for top prospect Hunter Renfroe in the future. The Braves, who are dead last in MLB in home runs (64) and OPS (.659), get some more pop into their lineup. And though he’s not close to what he used to be, Kemp is still a recognizable name that could boost the team’s profile a bit when it opens its new ballpark next season.