Padres acquire pitcher Ian Kennedy from Diamondbacks
San Diego Also Sends 2014 Competitive Balance Round B Selection to Arizona
The San Diego Padres today acquired right-handed starting pitcher Ian Kennedy from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for left-handed reliever Joe Thatcher, right-handed minor league reliever Matt Stites and the Padres' Competitive Balance Round B selection in the 2014 First-Year Player Draft. Executive Vice President/General Manager Josh Byrnes made the announcement.
"We're excited to add a starting pitcher of Ian's pedigree," said Byrnes. "He is under club control through 2015, and we feel he will help us take another step forward as a team."
Kennedy, 28, is 49-38 with a 3.99 ERA in 133 games (131 starts) since debuting with the New York Yankees during the 2007 season. The Diamondbacks' Opening Day starter in each of the past three seasons, including 2013, Kennedy is currently 3-8 with a 5.23 ERA (124.0 IP, 72 ER) in 21 starts with 108 strikeouts against 48 walks.
The six-foot, 190-pound right-hander finished fourth in the 2011 National League Cy Young Award voting after posting a 21-4 record with a 2.88 ERA and 198 strikeouts in 222.0 innings, leading the league in wins and setting an Arizona franchise record with an .840 winning pct. Kennedy also finished as the runner-up for the NL Rawlings Gold Glove Award in 2011. His 39 wins since the beginning of 2011 currently ranks tied for the fourth-most in the National League. Kennedy led the Diamondbacks staff in strikeouts in both 2011 and 2012 and had the honor of starting both Games One and Five of the 2011 National League Division Series at Milwaukee.
Selected by the New York Yankees in the first round (21st overall) in 2006, he was traded to Arizona as part of a three-team trade with the Detroit Tigers on December 9, 2009.
Born and raised in Huntington Beach, Calif., Kennedy graduated from La Quinta High School and played at the University of Southern California where he was a two-time First-Team All-American. He and his wife, Allison, currently reside in Scottsdale, Ariz., with their two daughters.
The 31-year-old Thatcher is 3-1 this season with a 2.10 ERA in 50 relief appearances. The left-hander was acquired by the Padres from the Milwaukee Brewers on July 25, 2007.
Stites, 23, has pitched the entire 2013 season with Double-A San Antonio, compiling a 2-2 record with a 2.08 ERA in 46 relief appearances. The Missouri native was selected by the Padres in the 17th round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft.