Padres send Matt Kemp to Braves in exchange of bad contracts

9:03 PM ET

The purging of the San Diego Padres continues, as general manager A.J. Preller has done what seemed impossible: He found somebody to take Matt Kemp and his contract off his hands, reportedly agreeing to trade him to the Atlanta Braves for third baseman/left fielder Hector Olivera. Yes, that’s how far Kemp has fallen — traded for a guy currently suspended under MLB’s domestic violence rules for allegedly beating a woman.

Padres: 7 notable players traded from Opening Day roster incl 2/3 of starting outfield & 4/5 of starting rotation pic.twitter.com/kf60VnJLR8

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Kemp is on pace for 36 home runs and more than 100 RBIs. Yet he has been barely above replacement level at 0.2 WAR, thanks to bad defense and a poor .285 OBP. The Padres actually sent cash to the Braves in the deal, but will save some money in the long-term based on the difference in the salaries between Kemp and Olivera. Trading Kemp (along with Melvin Upton Jr. earlier in the week to the Blue Jays) will also clear room for the Padres to call up Manuel Margot and/or Hunter Renfroe from Triple-A, two guys who will be competing with Travis Jankowski and Alex Dickerson for starting outfield positions in 2017. Reports also indicated that the Padres are likely to just cut Olivera — a good move if that happens — as he can’t play to go along with his reprehensible off-field behavior.

What do the Braves get here? Well, mostly they get rid of Olivera. They …

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