The Arizona Diamondbacks have gotten into the MLB trade deadline fray, dealing struggling starter Ian Kennedy to the San Diego Padres for lefty reliever Joe Thatcher, minor league pitcher Matt Stites, and a future draft pick according to ESPN.
Two seasons ago Kennedy was a breakout star for the Diamondbacks, compiling a 21-4 record, 2.88 ERA, and finishing fourth in the National League Cy Young voting. The following year Kennedy was productive, but far from his 2011 form. He went 15-12 with a 4.02 ERA and has sank even further in 2013.
This season Kennedy is just 3-8, his ERA has ballooned to 5.23, and on top of that he sparked an embarrassing, bench-clearing brawl by beaning Los Angeles Dodgers starter Zack Greinke.
Eight players were suspended after that fracas, but Kennedy was banned the longest, ten games, costing him two starts. Kennedy insisted at the time that he was not to blame for the fight, and didn't deserve the hefty suspension, but Dodgers manager Don Mattingly disagreed.
"To me [Kennedy] seemed like he was kind of the instigator and started it and piled on, and he got the most," Mattingly said. "It just seems fair."
The decision to deal Kennedy likely had more to do with his declining performance on the field. The shift to San Diego and pitcher-friendly Petco Park will likely give Kennedy the boost he needs to regain his effectiveness on the mound.
In his career Kennedy has always been a fly ball pitcher, whose velocity didn't lend itself to many strikeouts. San Diego's cavernous outfield will likely contain those fly balls better than Chase Field, and put a significant dent in his career-high 12.5 percent home run to fly ball ratio.
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