Braves trade Hector Olivera to Padres for Matt Kemp
The ugly, short-lived Hector Olivera era in Atlanta has ended unceremoniously.
The 31-year-old rookie outfielder is heading to the San Diego Padres as the Atlanta Braves acquired veteran outfielder Matt Kemp in a swap of overpriced contracts.
Olivera, a high-profile international signing by the Los Angeles Dodgers before being traded to Atlanta last summer, played just 30 games in a Braves uniform, hitting .245/.296/.378 before being suspended 82 games for violating Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy. The suspension stemmed from his arrest in Arlington, Va., on misdemeanor assault and battery charges against a woman at the team's hotel in April. Olivera's suspension is set to end on Aug. 1.
Escaping the dark cloud hanging over Olivera's potential return did not come without a price.
Kemp, 31, is far removed from finishing second in the 2011 National League MVP voting — a semi-controversial finish behind Milwaukee's Ryan Braun — and signing what was at the time the seventh-largest contract in baseball history, a $160 million deal now en route to its third front office.
“It’s difficult to find power," Braves president of baseball operations John Hart said. "I think a part of it, you look at the trade deadline and obviously we’ve been active at the deadline. We’ve moved guys that were short-term guys. We’ve looked for prospects. We’ve continued with our plan.
"But at the same time we’ve discussed the fact that we have created a lot of financial flexibility for next year, so why not take a look at what might be out there right now at the deadline that might be able to give us an early jumpstart on our winter.”
Since signing the deal, Kemp's numbers have steadily declined. Undercut by injuries in 2012 and 2013, including lingering hip concerns, he's posted a combined 1.7 wins above replacement over the past four seasons.
Kemp remains a far more established MLB contributor. In 2016, he's hitting .262/.285/.489 with 23 home runs, which would make him one of the few Braves batters hitting above league average. If nothing else, he provides right-handed power: Only 20 MLB players have hit more home runs since the start of the 2014 campaign.
Kemp is a defensive liability who is no longer a threat on the base paths, but it's a good bet that he will, at the very least, be more productive that Olivera moving forward.
