Padres acquire RHP Craig Kimbrel and OF Melvin Upton from Atlanta

Six-player trade among several moves to set 2015 Opening Day Roster

April 5, 2015

SAN DIEGO - The San Diego Padres today announced a number moves to set their 2015 Opening Day 25-man roster. The club today has acquired right-handed pitcher Craig Kimbrel and outfielder Melvin Uptonfrom the Atlanta Braves in exchange for right-handed pitcher Matt Wisler, outfielders Cameron Maybin, Jordan Paroubeck and Carlos Quentin and 2015 Competitive Balance Pick #41. In addition, the club has optioned right-handed pitchers Brandon Maurer and Kevin Quackenbush to Triple-A El Paso, placed left-handed pitcherCory Luebke on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left elbow and right-handed pitcher Josh Johnson on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right elbow and has selected the contract of catcher Wil Nieves. Executive Vice President/General Manager A.J. Preller made the announcements.

Kimbrel, 26, led the National League for the second-straight year with 47 saves in 2014, posting a 1.61 ERA (11 ER, 61.2 IP) with 95 strikeouts against 26 walks in 63 relief appearances and earning the inaugural Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year award, as announced by Major League Baseball following the season. Since his first full campaign in 2011, he leads all of Major League Baseball with 185 saves, posting a 1.51 ERA (45 ER, 268.1 IP) with 436 strikeouts against 92 walks in 273 games over that span. The 2011 National League Rookie of the Year has earned All-Star honors in each of his four full Major League seasons since 2011, as well as finishing in the top five for National League Cy Young Award voting twice in 2012 and 2013. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Kimbrel is just the third pitcher in Major League history to register 40-or-more saves in each of four consecutive seasons, joining Hoffman (1998-2001, 2004-07) and Francisco Rodriguez (2005-08). His strikeout percentage of 42 percent ranks as the highest in Major League history for pitchers with at least 150 saves.

Upton, 30, is the older brother of Justin Upton. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list on April 4 with a left foot injury. In 2014, the right-handed hitting outfielder played in 141 games, hitting .208 (108-for-519) with 19 doubles, five triples, 12 home runs, 35 RBI, 67 runs scored and 20 stolen bases. Upton was originally signed by Tampa Bay as a first-round selection (second overall pick) out of the 2002 First-Year Player Draft. Over parts of 10 Major League seasons with Tampa Bay (2004, 2006-12) and Atlanta (2013-14), he has hit .243 (1090-for-4478) with 235 doubles, 25 triples, 139 home runs, 508 RBI, 636 runs scored and 264 stolen bases in 1,233 games played.

Wisler, 22, posted a combined 10-5 record with a 4.42 ERA (72 ER, 146.2 IP) and 136 strikeouts against 42 walks in 28 games, all starts, between Double-A San Antonio (6) and Triple-A El Paso (22) in 2014. Selected by San Diego in the seventh-round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft, the Bryan, Ohio native owns a lifetime 25-15 record with a 3.40 ERA (150 ER, 396.2 IP) and 380 strikeouts against 105 walks in 79 games, all starts, over parts of four professional seasons. The 6-3, 195 pound right-hander entered the 2015 season rated byBaseball America as being the No. 1 prospect in the Padres organization and No. 34 overall.

Maybin, 28, hit .235 with 13 doubles, four triples, a home run and 15 RBI in 95 games for the Padres in 2014. A native of Asheville, North Carolina, the 6-3, 215 pound outfielder owns a lifetime .246 batting average with 82 doubles, 22 triples, 32 home runs, 150 RBI and 93 stolen bases in 561 games over parts of eight big league seasons with Detroit (2007), Florida (2008-10) and San Diego (2012-14).

Paroubeck, 20, made his professional debut in the Padres organization in 2014, hitting .286 with eight doubles, two triples, four home runs and 24 RBI in 34 games for the Rookie-Level Arizona Padres. A native of Berkeley, Calif., the 6-2, 190 pound outfielder was selected by the Padres in the second-round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft.

Quentin, 32, hit .177 with six doubles, four home runs and 18 RBI in 50 games for San Diego in 2014. A two-time American League All-Star (2008, 2011) and a Silver Slugger Award winner (2008), the outfielder owns a lifetime .252 batting average with 173 doubles, 154 home runs and 491 RBI in 834 games over parts of nine Major League seasons with Arizona (2006-07), Chicago-AL (2008-11) and San Diego (2012-14).

Nieves, 37, hit .254 with eight doubles, one home run and seven RBI in 36 games for Philadelphia in 2014. The 5-11, 190 pound backstop owns a lifetime .243 batting average with 54 doubles, two triples, nine home runs and 110 RBI in 421 games over parts of 11 Major League seasons with San Diego (2002), New York-AL (2005-07), Washington (2008-10), Milwaukee (2011), Colorado (2012), Arizona (2012-13) and Philadelphia (2014).

With today's announcements the Padres have set their Opening Day 25-man roster. The roster features 11 right-handed pitchers, one left-handed pitcher, two catchers, seven infielders and four outfielders. Three players are making their first appearance on a Major League team's Opening Day roster, includi