Yesterday there were rumors circulating about the San Diego Padres trying to make a trade for Atlanta Braves catcher Christian Bethancourt. The two clubs ended up striking a deal on the final day of the MLB Winter Meetings.
Bethancourt will be sent to San Diego in exchange for right-hander Casey Kelly and prospect catcher Ricardo Rodriguez. Both teams made the official announcement last night.
The #Padres have acquired C Bethancourt from the Braves and will send RHP Kelly and C Rodriguez to Atlanta: https://t.co/GVyWM6xa9D
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) December 11, 2015
#Braves acquire RHP Casey Kelly and C Ricardo Rodriguez from #Padres in exchange for C Christian Bethancourt.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) December 11, 2015
Bethancourt, 24, played in only 48 games in 2015 due to the presence and success of veteran A.J. Pierzynski. Padres general manager A.J. Preller may have more moves up his sleeve since the team already has catchers Derek Norris and Austin Hedges. It's unclear if he's open to moving one of them, but a position change is always a possibility too.
In 80 career MLB games, Bethancourt owns a .219/.245/.283 stat line with 23 runs scored, 2 home runs and 21 RBI. His stints at Triple-A have been much more successful as he's hit .299/.327/.435 with 58 runs scored, 12 home runs, 79 RBI and 12 stolen bases in 143 games.
The Braves will welcome Kelly, 26, and Rodriguez, 17. Kelly has appeared in nine total MLB games during the 2012 and 2015 seasons and owns a 6.69 ERA in 40 1/3 innings of work. The right-hander has a 4.55 ERA in six career Triple-A games and a 4.45 ERA in 80 career Double-A games.
Rodriguez made his pro debut in the Padres Dominican Summer League affiliate as well as the Rookie-Level Arizona Summer League this past season. He signed with the Pads as an international free agent in July of 2014.
The Padres and Braves have conducted a lot of business together over the past year, so it'll be interesting to see how this trade works out considering it's fairly clear Atlanta has taken advantage of San Diego in the trades that sent Justin Upton and Craig Kimbrel to the West Coast.
