Aug 19, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel (46) pitches during the ninth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
The Boston Red Sox acquired closer Craig Kimbrel from the San Diego Padres in trade that sends four prospects to the Padres, the teams announced Friday.
The Padres will get outfielder Manuel Margot, shortstop Javier Guerra, middle infielder Carlos Asuaje and right-handed pitcher Logan Allen.
The main piece of the trade was Boston’s acquisition of Kimbrel, and it’s a significant move by new Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski.
The Red Sox already have a standout reliever in 40-year-old Koji Uehara, who had 25 saves and 2.23 ERA in 2015. And now they add the 27-year-old Kimbrel, who had a 2.58 ERA and 39 saves in his only season with the Padres.
The 2015 season amounted to an off year for Kimbrel, who had at least 42 saves in each of his final three seasons with the Atlanta Braves and never finished with an ERA above 1.61 in any of those years.
The Red Sox will have control of the next three years of Kimbrel’s contract, according to CBSSports.com. He has two years and $24 million remaining on his contract, with a $13 million option for 2018.
