Padres Trade Matt Carpenter, Ray Kerr to Atlanta Braves

More money-saving moves for San Diego.

The San Diego Padres have traded DH/INF Matt Carpenter and LHP Ray Kerr to the Atlanta Braves for OF Drew Campbell. The Padres also sent over cash in the deal. The teams announced the trade on social media on Friday.

We have acquired OF Drew Campbell from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for DH/INF Matt Carpenter, LHP Ray Kerr and cash considerations.

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) December 15, 2023

This is a money-saving move for San Diego, as they move off of Carpenter's $5.5 million salary for the 2024 season. It's currently unknown how much cash the Padres are sending to Atlanta to take on Carpenter.

Along with Carpenter, who struggled mightily in 2024 hitting just .176 with an OPS of .641, the Padres are losing Kerr, a young lefty who dominated Triple-A last season.

In 36 Triple-A appearances, Kerr had a 2.25 ERA in 36 innings of relief. In 29 career MLB appearances across 2022 and 2023, Kerr has a 5.06 ERA in 32 innings.

As for the return, Campbell hit .254 with nine home runs and 30 RBIs in 78 Double-A games last season. The 26-year-old was an All-Star in 2022 in High-A, and will hope to continue rising the ranks of the Padres' minor league system.

The Padres clear space on the 40-man roster while the Braves take a chance on the young left-handed Kerr. It remains to be seen if they keep Carpenter, but this seems similar to their trade with the Los Angeles Angels earlier this offseason when they acquired David Fletcher and Max Stassi, and then traded Stassi and outrighted Fletcher.