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If this offseason hadn't already provided enough proof to the baseball world, the San Diego Padres are hungry as hell and I absolutely love it.
The Padres acquired closer Craig Kimbrel from the Atlanta Braves in a 7-player trade that once again put the baseball world on notice. The Padres are looking toward the World Series in 2015.
Kimbrel and Melvin Upton Jr. were sent to San Diego in exchange for Cameron Maybin, Carlos Quentin, Matt Wisler, Jordan Paroubeck and the 41st pick in the 2015 MLB draft.
This immediately adds the most imposing reliever to the much improved bullpen of the Padres. Kimbrel now joins the likes of Joaquin Benoit, Kevin Quackenbush, Dale Thayer and Nick Vincent. He is the most recent in a long list of Padres' acquisitions that include Justin Upton, Wil Myers, Matt Kemp, Derek Norris, Will Middlebrooks and James Shields.
Kimbrel's fantasy value takes a big boost going from the rebuilding Braves to the Padres who want to win now. He will have more opportunities to close out games, and the run suppressing environment that PetCo Park offers will make Kimbrel even more impossible to hit.
The Braves end of this trade is a bit confusing. The two outfielders they received, Maybin and Quentin, have been hurt and largely disappointing throughout the majority of their MLB careers. Adding Wisler and Paroubeck to the Braves farm system makes sense to a team rebuilding.
Could the Braves have gotten more? The Padres have two OF sitting in Triple-A in Rymer Liriano and Hunter Renfroe and either could have possibly started in Atlanta if the Braves demanded them as part of this trade.
Maybin figures to get the majority of playing time in center field and should provide decent fantasy value in deep leagues. Kimbrel will still be projected to garner 40+ saves and is obviously the most valueable player in the deal..
The Padres just got a whole lot scarier while the Braves continued to hasten their rebuild.
