Padres, Braves swap Matt Kemp for Hector Olivera

The Padres and Braves have agreed to a deal that will send outfielder Matt Kemp and cash to Atlanta in exchange for outfielder Hector Olivera, as first reported by Keith Law of ESPN.com. Atlanta was first linked to Kemp earlier today, and the deal is pending a physical.

Both sides made the deal official Saturday night, and the Padres announced they designated Olivera for assignment.

A major-league source with knowledge of the negotiations indicated earlier this afternoon that a deal sending Kemp to the Braves was not close, meaning that the deal came together quickly over the last couple of hours.

Atlanta has been known to be looking for creative offensive upgrades this month, and will add Kemp to an outfield mix that currently includes Nick Markakis, Ender Inciarte and trade candidate Jeff Francoeur.

Kemp, 31, is under control through the 2019 season and is owed about $72 million over the next three years. The Dodgers will kick in $3.5 million in each of the next three seasons, and San Diego will kick in some cash as well.

Kemp has posted a .262/.285/.489 with 23 home runs and 69 RBI in his second season with the Padres, who have worked to trade him for most of the last year. He will serve a veteran presence on a young Braves team during its projected window of contention in 2018 and 2019, giving the club a right-handed outfield bat.

Olivera, also 31, is currently at Triple-A Gwinnett as he serves the remainder of his 82-game suspension for violating the league’s domestic violence policy. The outfielder has now been traded twice in two years after being dealt to from the Dodgers to the Braves at last year’s deadline. Olivera originally signed a 6-year, $62.5 million deal with the Dodgers last May, and is already onto his third organization despite appearing in only 30 major-league games.

Olivera is under control through 2020 for the Padres, and will be owed about $28.5 million by San Diego in that span. Los Angeles picked up a significant amount of his contract, with Atlanta pitching in some for his performance this year.

Olivera has posted a .245/.296/.378 line with two home runs in 30 major-league games, and came into the season as Baseball America’s 55th-ranked prospect in all of baseball. He is regarded as a high-ceiling player despite his status as a bust to this point in his career and off-the-field issues.