
As expected, Matt Carpenter’s stay with the Braves was a short one.
Unable to find a trade partner, the Atlanta Braves have released veteran Matt Carpenter according to a report by MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. The Braves took on Carpenter’s contract in order to acquire hard throwing lefty reliever Ray Kerr from the San Diego Padres on December 15.
Matt Carpenter has been released. The Braves initially hoped to be able to trade his bad contract like they had Stassi’s and Gonzales’.
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) December 18, 2023
Carpenter is owed $5.5 million for the 2024 season as part of a two-year, $12 million deal that he inked with the Padres prior to the 2023 season. The Padres reportedly sent the Braves $1.5 million when trading Carpenter to Atlanta, so the Braves are eating $4 million with this move. Carpenter’s first year in San Diego didn’t go great as he was limited to just 76 games while hitting just .176/.322/.319 with five home runs in 237 plate appearances.