Braves Trade for Matt Carpenter, Ray Kerr; Padres Acquire Drew Campbell in MLB FA

The Atlanta Braves announced on Friday that they acquired designated hitter Matt Carpenter and relief pitcher Ray Kerr in a trade with the San Diego Padres for minor-league outfielder Drew Campbell.

Although Carpenter is far removed from his days as an All-Star, the 38-year-old hit .305 in 154 plate appearances as a member of the New York Yankees in 2022 before struggling with the Padres this past season. In 76 games with San Diego, he posted a mere .641 OPS.

Although he excelled in Triple-A ball, Kerr had struggled to adjust to the majors. In 22 games in 2023, the 29-year-old recorded an impressive 35 strikeouts in 27 innings although he maintained a 4.33 ERA.

The Braves will hope that Kerr can develop into a reliable left-hander in the bullpen while Carpenter can recapture his 2022 form to bolster a roster that hit 307 home runs last season, the highest mark of any MLB team.

As for the Padres, this move allows them to save money and manage future payroll costs better. With this trade, San Diego moved off the remaining $5.5 million in Carpenter's salary for the 2024 season (per Spotrac).

The Padres have already been involved in one of the most notable moves of the offseason, trading three-time All-Star Juan Soto to the New York Yankees on Dec. 6 after they never formally offered him a contract extension (via ESPN's Alden Gonzalez).

Speaking to reporters after the trade, general manager A.J. Preller acknowledged that the team would be carefully managing their finances this offseason after entering the 2023 season with one of the largest payrolls in the sport.

"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," Preller said about the Soto deal, per 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."

Carpenter will get a fresh start in Atlanta while San Diego will save some money and begin to develop Campbell, who hit .254 with the Mississippi Braves in Double-A action last season.