The Braves completed a trade last Friday with the San Diego Padres, acquiring veteran Matt Carpenter and left-handed pitcher Ray Kerr . But as I said then, while Matt Carpenter is the more well-known name, the move was all about landing another high-powered lefty in Ray Kerr. Kerr could end up being a vital piece to Atlanta’s bullpen with his strikeout stuff, but Carpenter will not be with the organization. After just three days with the team, he’s been released.
The Braves were willing to take on the $5.5 million contract of Carpenter in hopes Kerr can develop into a reliable reliever for the team, further bolstering an incredibly deep bullpen. As Bowman states, they hoped they could move Carpenter in a separate trade like they have done with several other players this offseason to save some cash, but they were unable to find a partner, which really shouldn’t be too surprising.
Matt Carpenter will be 38-years-old next season and is coming off a campaign in which he failed to hit over the Mendoza Line with a .641 OPS. It might be time for him to hang it up, but if he does desire to continue playing, I’m sure some team will give him a shot on a minor-league deal to see if he has anything left in the tank.
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