In an effort to reduce payroll to get below the luxury tax threshold, the Los Angeles Dodgers completed a trade earlier this offseason with the Atlanta Braves, sending Adrian Gonzalez, Brandon McCarthy, Scott Kazmir and Charlie Culberson to Atlanta for a familiar face in Matt Kemp.
While the Dodgers acquired Kemp’s remaining two-year contract, their payroll was reduced by more than $20 million for the 2018 season as they unloaded Gonzalez, McCarthy and Kazmir’s expiring contracts that were all north of $12 million.
Gonzalez, who had a rough season with the Dodgers in 2017, still has the desire to play in 2018, although it won’t be with the Braves as they granted his request of a release, making him a free agent.