Former Yankees player gets traded in a salary dump

The San Diego Padres have possibly established a record by dealing one of the game’s most productive hitters and one of major league baseball’s least productive hitters in the same offseason.

The Padres sent designated hitter Matt Carpenter to the Atlanta Braves for outfielder Drew Campbell, a week after offloading an estimated $30 million by moving slugger Juan Soto to the Yankees in a blockbuster transaction.The move saved the Padres nearly $5 million.

Carpenter, 38, was acquired in exchange for left-handed reliever Ray Kerr and $1.5 million.

Carpenter, who became a folk hero with the Yankees in 2022 before leaving for free agency, batted first and played designated hitter.

After having one of the worst seasons of his career, he exercised a $5.5 million player option in November. He hit.176/.322/.319 and was the only player on a big-league roster who did not play from July 25 to August 14, according to the San Diego Union Tribune.

Carpenter hit.147/.304/.235 with 49 strikeouts in 171 plate appearances over the final five months of the season.

In exchange for Carpenter, the Padres handed up Kerr, one of four left-handers on the 40-man roster, a 29-year-old rookie with a 5.06 ERA in 32 innings in the majors. Kerr pitched 36 innings for Triple-A El Paso in 2023, saving 10 games and striking out 42 hitters.