Olivera traded for Kemp

dak said:
Including Olivera in the trade was nothing more than a public relations gimmick. Many casual fans will see this as a coup . . . "I can't believe Coppy was able to trade that scrub Olivera for all-star player Matt Kemp!!!" Olivera was immediately DFA'd by San Diego. The Braves could have just as easily DFA'd him yesterday. Olivera was just the personification of a $30m check in this deal.
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Honestly, though... PR is important and Kemp will help us
 
zbhargrove said:
To be fair, it wasn't just our scouts that were hoodwinked... quite a few reports, Badler included said he should be a very good MLB hitter. However, after he had already signed with LA and we had been able to scout him in their system, it should have been more apparent.
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I don't see how he fooled so many scouts. It took very little time to see he wasn't going to hit here. The fact that the Dodgers were so eager to trade him should have tipped us off. The scouting failure the second time made it absolutely unacceptable.
 
striker42 said:
I don't see how he fooled so many scouts. It took very little time to see he wasn't going to hit here. The fact that the Dodgers were so eager to trade him should have tipped us off. The scouting failure the second time made it absolutely unacceptable.
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Trust me, I don't see how he fooled them either... there was pretty universal praise about him during showcases.... I don't know what happened really. I just don't know if that parts a reflection of our scouting. I think once he was with the Dodgers, that's where the mistaken judgement came in on our part. And it was more of a case of our guys obsessed with a player they initially missed out on that they wanted real bad, which was the real problem. At least Coppy admitted it and was open about it.
 
Julio3000 said:
In other news, Matt Kemp became the newest Brave around the same time that Senora Julio showed maturity, clutchness, and veteran leadership in bringing the newest member of our brood into the world. Early scouting reports suggest a scrappy middle-infield type.
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Mazel tov to you and the Senora
 
striker42 said:
I still want to know what went wrong with the scouting of Olivera. How did our scouts think he was going to hit close to .300 with 20 or so HRs and be able to play 3B? It was such a huge whiff. It was instantly apparent that Olivera was a seriously flawed player.
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I think he was skilled enough. In a SSS, he was even respectable in 2015. Honestly, it's impossible to know what he could have been after the arrest. It's likely he was never going to be a .300, 20 homer, 3B that he was billed as, but it's possible he could have been an asset. I think the biggest whiff was not seeing the character concerns, which reportedly stem back further than the domestic assault arrest.
 
Good article from this Spring on how SD worked to mitigate defensive issue with Kemp. As I mentioned in the other thread, his UZR / 150 and DRS have improved the past couple of years. Maybe Inciarte can further mask some of the effects.

He himself stated that shifting Kemp is going to be vital: “We think we can do some things from a positioning standpoint to put him in a much better position to succeed. That will be a point of emphasis. Also, we’ve already started to identify how his breaks can be improved, how his mobility back to right center can be improved.” This is going to benefit Matt Kemp.

Thirdly, Matt Kemp realizes he was a liability on defense. Due to this realization, Kemp arrived early to spring training to work specifically on defense.

Credit: UT San Diego

Credit: UT San Diego

He was seen working on routes with new Padres first base coach Tarrik Brock. He insists that his ankle is feeling better and that he is as healthy as he has been in a while. Of course, this is all talk from Kemp, but it is good to see he is committed to improving his defense.

There is nothing that will make Matt Kemp an average MLB outfielder. He will still be a poor defender, a liability at times, and take some routes that will make everyone scratch their heads. However, he will not be as poor as last year due to an improved strategic approach and a better defensive outfield. I am sure pride is also a factor in Kemp’s motivation to improve defensively, as he was probably a little embarrassed to be as bad as he was last year. Expect a much more committed Matt Kemp in 2016, especially on the defensive end.
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http://eastvillagetimes.com/2016/03/matt-kemp-and-his-defense/
 
Adding 25m in contractual obligations. Getting a defensively challenged, High power low contact high k guy. A Worse Justin Upton, and people here hated Justin Upton.

Not a great deal. Sure we got rid of Olivera but we shouldnt have traded for him in the first place. Also theres more OF than At Bats. Hoping Nick Markakis gets dealt today.
 
One thing that's interesting about the Kemp trade is that indicates that the front office has been keeping part of the 2016 budget in reserve. This is not a bad use of it. But I wonder if it suggests that there is more and that there is room for some additional moves (whether they be for a trade for someone like McCann or a significan international free agent signing).
 
Perfect Cell said:
Not a great deal.
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Agree with this. But there is a chance it could work out given that Kemp has been playing in a stadium that took away from his offense and highlighted his defensive shortcomings. Also his BABIP this year is low relative to recent seasons, indicating that his hitting numbers have been depressed by some bad luck.
 
He is on pace for 37hr 112rbi and we are talking about his defense. We are getting Kemp for one reason. RH power hitter to protect Freeman. That's what we lacked. We gave up nothing and have the cash to take this chance on a guy who is on pace for 37hr 112 RBI.

People make me smh these days. Maybe we should stick with what we were throwing out in LF. Face palm
 
Dunit24 said:
He is on pace for 37hr 112rbi and we are talking about his defense. We are getting Kemp for one reason. RH power hitter to protect Freeman. That's what we lacked. We gave up nothing and have the cash to take this chance on a guy who is on pace for 37hr 112 RBI.

People make me smh these days. Maybe we should stick with what we were throwing out in LF. Face palm
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I think you have to consider that his OBP is .285 and question whether he is a winning player. Also you have to consider that the Braves now have at least 15 million per year invested in him over the next three years, which figures to be a significant part of their payroll. since he is an older player with apparently a degenerative hip, it very well may be that he will be injury prone. Should he have a major injury, its possible you are are looking at someone who cannot stay in the lineup enough to help the team. And given his injury history that is more likely than in the usual case.

I think this is a pretty big gamble on Kemp being able to play well enough to help the team and also create some trade value. I can't see not looking to flip him before the end of his contract and that obviously is pretty difficult to do given what the Padres just accepted, which was negative 25 million.
 
It is a big risk/gamble, and all the negatives are there, but hard to ignore the power numbers and ability to drive in runs. He is 31 with bad hips but he is on pace for almost 40 dingers still.

And we gave up Nada. We will see. Just glad we have a guy who will provide the OF seats with some souvenirs. Lol
 
jpx7 said:
Is he, though?
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Right. That's where the two balls are that he didn't get to. Hey, whatever we decide in CF he's going to have help next to him. The Simmons effect.

And here's the thing. His WAR gets dramatically impacted each year by negative dWAR, 1-2 wins. Without getting too deep into that conversation, if you look at his oWAR, he's always been a useful player and will continue to be.

I find his absence of patience this year far more alarming than what those goofy UZR/DRS stats say. However, he's got a long history of 8-10% BB, not his current 3.7%. He returns to that range, there's a lot to like on the offensive side of the ball - which is basically all I care about in my LF.

I think it's a really good way to spend $10m/yr for the next three years for this particular team, purpose and circumstance. Buys us time until some of our fabulous prospects develop. And maybe Freddie doesn't want to cry when he looks in the on-deck circle.
 
Dunit24 said:
He is on pace for 37hr 112rbi and we are talking about his defense. We are getting Kemp for one reason. RH power hitter to protect Freeman. That's what we lacked. We gave up nothing and have the cash to take this chance on a guy who is on pace for 37hr 112 RBI.

People make me smh these days. Maybe we should stick with what we were throwing out in LF. Face palm
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Right. Who cares?
 
GovClintonTyree said:
Right. That's where the two balls are that he didn't get to. Hey, whatever we decide in CF he's going to have help next to him. The Simmons effect.

And here's the thing. His WAR gets dramatically impacted each year by negative dWAR, 1-2 wins. Without getting too deep into that conversation, if you look at his oWAR, he's always been a useful player and will continue to be.

I find his absence of patience this year far more alarming than what those goofy UZR/DRS stats say. However, he's got a long history of 8-10% BB, not his current 3.7%. He returns to that range, there's a lot to like on the offensive side of the ball - which is basically all I care about in my LF.

I think it's a really good way to spend $10m/yr for the next three years for this particular team, purpose and circumstance. Buys us time until some of our fabulous prospects develop. And maybe Freddie doesn't want to cry when he looks in the on-deck circle.
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His career average is under your claim of long history of 8-10.

The other issue, hes likey going to be a huge drag on the team in 2-3 years whdn the team may start to compete.
 
gilesfan said:
His career average is under your claim of long history of 8-10.

The other issue, hes likey going to be a huge drag on the team in 2-3 years whdn the team may start to compete.
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Well in three years he's going to be off the team, so I can't see how that's true.

The trade is fine. Kemp isn't very good and it's not a good use of money, but it's also superior to trading talent and / or signing someone to huge money this offseason when we are clearly not ready to compete. This is a solid compromise to the average fan to show that we are trying to compete, but keeping everything in play to compete after 2017 when some of the young talent is ready.
 
gilesfan said:
His career average is under your claim of long history of 8-10.

The other issue, hes likey going to be a huge drag on the team in 2-3 years whdn the team may start to compete.
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You keep telling yourself that it's better to have a KJ/Francoeur platoon in one corner and Nick Markakis in the other, dude. Either you'll show me some silly-ass metrics that prove the point you're making or you're secretly wanting the Braves to suck forever so the Nats have an easier path.
 
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