The San Diego Padres have acquired closer Craig Kimbrel and outfielder Melvin Upton, Jr. (Formerly B.J. Upton) from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for outfielder’s Cameron Maybin and Carlos Quentin as well as prospects Matt Wisler and Jordan Paroubeck.
Kimbrel, 26, leads the majors in saves over the past four seasons with 185. Kimbrel has a career 1.43 ERA and has struck out 476 batters in 289 innings pitched.
Melvin Upton, Jr., will join his brother Justin in San Diego after spending the past two seasons together in Atlanta.
Last season, Melvin only managed to hit a meager .208/.287/.333 with 12 home runs and 35 RBI’s. Maybe a change of scenery will help the older Upton brother, but it sure is Kimbrel who is headlining this trade.
In exchange, the Braves get two decent outfielders in Maybin and Quentin, but it certainly is a HUGE return for the Padres as A.J. Preller just continues to amaze, as he just netted arguably the best closer in all of baseball.
Thoughts:
Well, I guess the rebuild is in full effect in Atlanta, as the Braves have dismantled their entire team in a matter of one offseason. I was shocked to see Kimbrel traded, but I guess the Braves really just want a completely fresh start. Looks like it will be Jason Grilli or Jim Johnson closing games out in Atlanta this season. A nice relief for the Mets. 🙂
