KEMP TO ATLANTA IN A SALARY DUMP
The Atlanta Braves acquired outfielder Matt Kemp and cash from the San Diego Padres for outfielder/infielder Hector Olivera.
What does it give the Atlanta Braves
The woeful Braves have the fewest wins in all of the majors (37), so it is clear they are adding Kemp to bring a little more hope and excitement for their downcast fans. That said, Kemp is an expensive addition regardless of the reasons; he is still owed roughly $55 million over the next three seasons. While reports say Atlanta also gets $10.5 million in this deal, it is still a lot to pay for an aging slugger who has batted over .270 just once in the past four seasons. The homers will help a little, but otherwise this trade is all about unloading Olivera's also-onerous contract.
What does it give the San Diego Padres
The Friars' fire sale continues here. San Diego has arguably been the majors' most active 'seller' heading into the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade cutoff, and dropping Kemp's $55 million over the next three years helps with the latest rebuild. It is questionable whether Olivera will ever play for San Diego; team ownership has been very vocal about the organization getting back on track, and Olivera is an aging yet unproven player who this week is coming off an 82-game suspension for domestic violence. The bottom line for San Diego is Olivera is owed $28.5 million over the next four seasons (significantly less than Kemp's salary).
Fantasy impact
The respective fantasy values of both Kemp and Olivera aren't likey to change at all with this deal; Kemp will still hit some home runs (with a middling batting average) for a talent-poor team, and Olivera still has no fantasy value for the foreseeable future. The only player likely to see a change in fantasy fortunes here is whomever winds up with the most playing time replacing Kemp for the Padres--probably one of Jabari Blash or Travis Jankowski. Blash hits for good power but not usually a strong average, while Jankowski hits for average but little power.
