In what would have been a blockbuster trade several years ago, the Los Angeles Dodgers have acquired outfielder Matt Kemp from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, pitchers Scott Kazmir and Brandon McCarthy, infielder Charlie Culberson and cash considerations, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the trade is effectively cash neutral, but will help Dodgers get below the $197 million luxury tax threshold. He also adds that Gonzalez will be designated for assignment by the Braves, enabling him to become a free agent.
Kemp, 33, will return to the team he spent a majority of his career with. The two-time All-Star played the last season and a half with Atlanta after a brief tour of duty with the San Diego Padres.
In 2017, he appeared in 115 games, hitting to a .276/.318/.463 clip with 19 homers and 64 RBI in 467 plate appearances.
Per Statcast: Kemp was worth an MLB worst -17 Outs Above Average in 2017. Next closest were Denard Span and Melky Cabrera at -12.
Gonzalez, 35, was traded to the Dodgers in 2012 and has been with them since. However, this past year was a rough one for A-Gon, as he appeared in just 71 games, hitting three home runs and driving in 30 while hitting to a .242/.287/.355 slash line in 252 plate appearances.
As mentioned above, the five-time All-Star was simply cut by Atlanta, who already have Freddie Freeman as their everyday first baseman.
Kazmir, 33, has bounced around the last few seasons, spending time with the Cleveland Indians, Oakland Athletics and Houston Astros before latching on with the Dodgers in 2017.
In 26 starts with Los Angeles, he registered a 10-6 record with a 4.56 ERA, 4.48 FIP, 1.357 WHIP and 8.8 K/9 across 136.1 innings pitched.
McCarthy, 34, appeared in just 19 games for the Dodgers in 2017 (16 starts), and logged a 6-4 record with a 3.98 ERA, 3.28 FIP, 1.252 WHIP and 7.0 K/9 in 92.2 innings pitched.
This will be his seventh team in his 12-year big league career.
Culberson, 28, got a cup of coffee with Los Angeles during the regular season, appearing in just 15 games, but was part of Los Angeles’ playoff roster, appearing in 10 games in the NLCS and World Series.
