Padres acquire Kimbrel, Upton Jr
WASHINGTON, April 6, (RTRS): In a major trade before Opening Day of the baseball season, the revamped San Diego Padres acquired closer Craig Kimbrel and outfielder Melvin Upton Jr from the Atlanta Braves on Sunday.
Atlanta received outfielders Carlos Quentin and Cameron Maybin and two minor-leaguers, right-handed pitcher Matt Wisler and outfielder Jordan Paroubeck.
Both teams shed unwanted contracts in the deal, but the prize was Kimbrel, who led the National League in saves each of the past four years.
Kimbrel, 26, was the 2011 NL Rookie of the Year, and he was an All-Star in each of his full major league seasons. Last year, he went 47-for-51 on save chances and posted a 1.61 ERA.
Upton, 30, was a flop since signing a five-year, $75.25 million deal with Atlanta in November 2012. In two seasons with the Braves, he batted a combined .198 with a .279 on-base percentage, a .314 slugging percentage, 21 homers and 61 RBIs.
The Cleveland Indians officially signed right-handed starter Corey Kluber to a five-year contract extension, while multiple media outlets reported the team reached agreement with right-hander Carlos Carrasco on a three-year extension.
The deal with Kluber includes club options for the 2020 and 2021 season. The deal is worth $38.5 million, and the option years are for $13.5 million and $14 million, ESPN reported.
Carrasco’s extension is a three-year deal worth about $22 million in guaranteed money, according to FOX Sports. It includes two club options in 2019 and 2020.
The Cleveland Indians made a series of moves to set their Opening Day roster.
Cleveland placed right-hander Gavin Floyd (fractured right elbow) on the 60day disabled list, allowing the team to purchase the contract of right-handed reliever Anthony Swarzak from TripleA Columbus and add him to the 40-man and active rosters.
Veteran outfielder Nick Swisher (surgery on both knees in August), right-hander Josh Tomlin (right shoulder surgery) and infielder Zach Walters (strained right oblique) were each placed on the 15-day disabled list.
The Detroit Tigers reduced their roster to 25 players by officially placing right-handed relief pitcher Bruce Rondon on the disabled list.
The team has decided to delay putting right-hander Justin Verlander on the disabled list, according to MLB.com.