Matt Carpenter lasted three days as a member of the loaded Atlanta Braves.
After the Braves acquired him, left-handed reliever Ray Kerr and cash from the San Diego Padres for minor league outfielder Drew Campbell on Friday, they released him on Monday, according to reports, which said Atlanta had hoped to trade him.
Essentially, the Braves took on $4 million of Carpenter’s $5.5 million salary to purchase Kerr from San Diego, which is scaling back its payroll this offseason. (See: Juan Soto trade to Yankees.)
After the Yankees resurrected Carpenter’s career in 2022, the 38-year-old batted .176 with a .641 OPS, five home runs and 31 RBI in 188 at-bats during the 2023 campaign with the Padres. In 47 games (128 at-bats) with New York, Carpenter hit .305 with an other-worldly 1.138 OPS, 15 home runs and 37 RBI as he slotted mostly as a designated hitter but also played multiple positions.
Carpenter parlayed that bounce-back 2022 campaign into a two-year, $12 million deal that included a player option for 2024, which he exercised at $5.5 million in November.
It proved to be a misguided deal for the Padres, who did not see Carpenter in a game from July 25 to Aug. 14 despite being on the roster, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Now, Carpenter could sign with a new team, at a much lower salary, for a job without a guaranteed role, but it will likely take some time as teams fill their bigger needs first.
Kerr, 29, pitched 27 big-league innings last year, recording a 3.44 ERA and 11.7 strikeouts per nine innings.