The Atlanta Braves announced on Friday that they had traded minor-league outfielder Drew Campbell to the San Diego Padres for relief pitcher Ray Kerr and designated hitter Matt Carpenter.
Carpenter, 38, hit.305 in 154 plate appearances as a member of the New York Yankees in 2022 before having a difficult season with the Padres this past season, despite the fact that he is far removed from his All-Star days. With San Diego, he managed just a.641 OPS in 76 games.
Despite his success in Triple-A ball, Kerr had found it difficult to transition to the major leagues. Despite having a 4.33 ERA, the 29-year-old recorded an amazing 35 strikeouts in 27 innings in 22 games in 2023.
The Braves, who hit 307 home runs last season—more than any other MLB team—will be hoping that Kerr can mature into a trustworthy left-hander in the bullpen and that Carpenter can regain his 2022 form.
In terms of the Padres, this action enables them to reduce expenses and better control future payroll expenditures. San Diego was able to pay Carpenter the remaining $5.5 million for the 2024 season with this trade (per Spotrac).
One of the most noteworthy offseason transactions by the Padres occurred on December 6, when they traded three-time All-Star Juan Soto to the New York Yankees, despite never having made a formal offer of a contract extension (per ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez).
General manager A.J. Preller told reporters following the trade that the team would be watching their money closely this offseason because they had one of the biggest payrolls in the league going into 2023.
Regarding the Soto transaction, Preller stated, “I think we’re going to run very competitive payrolls over the next five years, and I think we’re going to have a very competitive payroll this year,” according to Gonzalez. “But it’s just what’s the best way to use that dollars, that player, and ultimately we decided to go add five players that I think are going to potentially play on our roster this year versus one.”
While San Diego will save some cash and start to develop Campbell, who hit.254 with the Mississippi Braves in Double-A action last season, Carpenter will start over in Atlanta.
