The Braves acquired Olivera past year in a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are still paying for part of the salaries for both Olivera and Kemp, who was dealt to the Padres in 2014.
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He is owed $28.5 million from 2017 through 2020.
Kemp, 31, hasn’t lived up to his All-Star form since being traded to San Diego two seasons ago.
The 31-year-old Olivera came to the United States from Cuba in 2015 and has played in just 30 games.
Olivera was nearing the end of an 82-game suspension stemming from charges he assaulted a woman at a Washington hotel in April.
Kemp is in the midst of the fifth season of a eighth-year, $160 million deal signed when he was with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He will serve a veteran presence on a young Braves team during its projected window of contention in 2018 and 2019, giving the club a right-handed outfield bat.
Aside from giving the Braves a much needed offensive boost- Kemp has 23 HR and 69 RBI through 100 games this season- the addition of Matt Kemp means much, much more. He played six games this season, batting.
In rebuilding the Braves, president of baseball operations John Hart and general manager John Coppolella have traded Craig Kimbrel, Jason Heyward, Justin Upton, Melvin Upton Jr. and Andrelton Simmons for prospects. 324 and led the National League in homers (39) and RBIs (126) and finished second in the NL MVP balloting behind Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun. The Padres immediately designated Olivera for assignment.
Olivera made his major league debut for the Braves on September 1 and has a. 245 average (24-for-108) with two home runs, a. 296 OBP and.
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OUR TAKE: The Padres are unloading players and the Braves badly need more power.
