In one of the more freakish deals before Monday’s non-waiver trade deadline, the Atlanta Braves have reportedly agreed to acquire outfielder Matt Kemp from the San Diego Padres through a deal that includes high-priced Cuban import Hector Olivera in a swap of bad contracts, per David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, who reported the deal was agreed to and is pending completion of physicals. The deal comes a year to the day after the Braves acquired Olivera from the Los Angeles Dodgers (coincidentally, Kemp’s former team).
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Kemp, 31, brings a veteran presence to the Braves’ roster dominated by young players.
According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, sources confirmed ESPN’s Jim Bowden’s report that the Padres are shopping Kemp and that the Atlanta Braves are among the interested teams.
Kemp has slashed.262/.285/.489 this season with 23 homers and 69 RBIs in 2016 and if get can find a way to fix his woeful OBP during the rest of the season could put together a fine offensive season.
For the first time in his 11-season Major League Baseball career, Matt Kemp is on his way out of Southern California.
The 31-year-old Olivera, who appeared in six games for the Braves this season, was pulled from Saturday night’s lineup with Triple-A Gwinnett.
Olivera hit. 211 in six games with the Braves this season before getting suspended. Ender Inciarte, Mallex Smith and Nick Markakis are all left-handed.
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The infielder is now serving a suspension through August 1 for violating the league’s domestic violence policy after he was arrested and charged with assault of a woman at a Washington D.C. hotel last April.
