Yesterday's round of Matt Kemp rumors included word that the Dodgers are open to eating a substantial portion of his salary in order to ensure they receive a significant return in any trade. The Red Sox no longer appear to be in the mix, and the Tigers may be a long shot after their signing of Rajai Davis, but the Mariners are among the clubs still in play. We'll keep track of Wednesday's updates on Kemp right here:
- ESPN's Jayson Stark spoke with Kemp's agent, Dave Stewart, who was told by the Dodgers today that the team has no plans to trade Kemp (Twitter link).
Earlier updates:
- The Dodgers are getting "plenty of action" on Kemp in Orlando this week, but say they're unlikely to finalize a trade at the Winter Meetings, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
- A source tells Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that there were simply too many "complications" for the Red Sox to make a deal work (Twitter link). Kemp's recovery from ankle surgery was the most notable of those complications.
- In a column for FOX Sports, Jon Morosi goes into more detail on his and Ken Rosenthal's Tuesday reports on Kemp, writing that despite the outfielder's injury issues and unwieldy contract, there's still a decent chance he's moved by Opening Day.
The Mariners do not need Kemp who has soft tissue injuries and declining speed not to mention he’s not a lock for ST.
But they want it bad.
Chances are they trade for Kemp and give him 12 years, $360 million just to show the Yankees they can again outbid themselves
The LAD want a WS and have billions of dollars to spend. Why do they not want his services considering his clubhouse presence and overall makeup? Ethier’s contract is enough to allow them to extend Kershaw for 8yrs $160M.
Kershaw for 8 years 160m would be an absolute bargain. I’m thinking 8 years would cost AT LEAST 200 mil.
He’s gonna want at least what Verlander got. Even if you considered them equal in talent, Kershaw is a lefty and younger
Kershaw=Koufax
Kershaw > Koufax + Lefty Grove + Steve Carlton + Randy Johnson
ya, only he had the worst start in the biggest game of his career … change that > to a <.
I was being sarcastic. I do not honestly believe one pitcher is greater than four of the best left-handed pitchers of all time combined.
I was poking fun at the notion of dubbing Kershaw = Koufax just because he is the present.
Really didn’t matter. The Dodgers had 2 hits against Michael Wacha in Game 6. Kershaw could’ve pitched 9 innings giving up 1 run and still lost.
The Dodgers losing the NLCS was entirely on the offense. They had ample opportunities to win both of the first two games, but the offense was almost non-existent.
Kershaw=Koufax
I think he’s going to get around 7 years $200 million
yikes 8/160? add AT LEAST 60M on to that total….and even the mighty dodgers don’t want to pay someone 15M a year to be a 4th outfielder…Crawford, Puig, Either, Kemp….someone’s gotta go.
Nope, nobody has to go. Not only can the Dodgers afford these salaries, they can’t afford not to keep them. All four of their outfielders were available for exactly two games last season. Colletti has commented on this situation quite a bit over the last month, you just won’t read about it here.
They do. The Kemp trade talk is way overblown.
The guy was a 300+ 40 hr hitter…he will rebound and should give any team in a healthy season .300 30hr 15sb. Not too shabby my friend. Lots of potential still there.
Your right as long the LAD take on half his salary. Kemp has done nothing in 2yrs, nothing. It’s outstanding the way one season carries players for multiple years. He’s had 2 seasons in his entire career that warrant his current contract and even over 30, 2 lost back to back seasons and soft tissue injuries…I don’t get it at all.
You won’t read about it here, but the Dodgers are confident that the injuries he suffered in the last two seasons are not career issues. In the few games we got to see him play towards the end of last season, before he twisted his ankle, he looked a lot like the Matt Kemp of 2011.
I like Kemp, but like to play devils advocate sometime.
The few games are a very small sample size out of a larger picture of 2 years of shaky production, and injuries.
And just because the Dodgers are confident that the injuries he has suffered the last two seasons are not career issues, doesn’t mean that is a for sure thing. How many times have we heard that before with it actually being true? Yes there times that it is true, but with it nagging the past 2 years, people are right to be concerned about it.
Honestly, I do think he bounces back though. Has had a lot of time to get his health right, and before the injuries, dude is a beast.
The only really nagging (meaning recurring) injury we’ve seen is the hamstring, which is so common among ballplayers that it hardly even counts. If you want sure things, baseball is not your sport, so I would talk in probabilities. If Kemp can probably recover to even 75% of his former self, then he’s still the best option the Dodgers could have or find to play CF this season. I can see a Kemp trade, if it happens, being very possibly the worst the team has made in a decade or more, especially if the team fails to reach the series again. This is where we find out if ownership is really committed to winning.
Mariners work a deal around Walker,Paxton, and Franklin for Puig.
Not gonna happen.
Nope, neither side would go for that one. Not to mention the fact that Puig would be miserable there. I lived in Seattle for 10 years and although I love it (and would move back in a heartbeat) Puig is a Cuban with all of his family living in Miami. Flying an addtional 1K to see them wouldn’t work.
No. Walker could be an impact starting pitcher and Puig is the Dodgers only good outfielder.
Kemp and Beckett for Arod and CC. Yanks get out of a big contract and Dodgers get a 3rd baseman and SP and money to burn.
Something must be seriously wrong with Kemp if the Dodgers want to get rid of him so badly.
It seems like after Rihanna broke up with him that he just stopped trying.
Nope. It was right after they break up is when Kemp got hot, would have won the MVP in 2011 if that lying Braun didn’t steal it away with his cheating usings PEDS.
They have four OF, three of whom have gigantic contracts. Kemp and Crawford are $20MM+, Ethier is $15MM. They’re keeping Puig, so it makes sense to try to trade one of the others. No one is taking Crawford. Kemp could probably net more in a trade than Ethier can.
Nothing ‘seriously wrong’ with Kemp. You just don’t want a $20MM bench player.
So if they are all healthy which one do you keep? Kemp is the best of the bunch Ethier is way overpriced, he’s not that good.
Kemp would net the biggest return back.
Maybe not what the Dodgers are finding out, he is damaged goods.
They might have been expecting much more, but the fact is Kemp would still bring back more than the others. Quite frankly it would just be smarter to keep him, unless they just want to make a salary dump, which in that case it would be better to get rid of either Crawford or Ethier.
Going by WAR, Ethier has been better than Kemp in each of the last two seasons due to Kemp’s bad defense. If they’re all healthy, obviously you’d get rid of Crawford. But since no one would take him, I think you just trade whichever of Kemp or Ethier brings back the best haul.
I disagree. someone made a good point last year that all 4 of them were healthy and and could play for only a few games last year. Why trade one of them if that may be true this year? Helps give a healthy rotation all year to keep everyone healthy with some regular days off. Dodgers have the money to spend, why do you think they care about money at this point?
Wow, is anyone actually reading what I wrote? I didn’t say that they have to trade Kemp. I’m saying that, since they cost so much money and there are four of them trying to play only three positions, that it makes sense to try to trade one of them. Kemp could probably net more in a trade than Ethier can.
And true, the Dodgers have money and are spending it now, but I don’t see how that translates into them not caring about money. That’s ridiculous. If they didn’t care about money, they’d be signing everyone under the sun right now. Right now, they’re going to be paying $15-20MM for a fourth outfielder. It makes sense to try to move one of them.
I get your point, but if 3 out of your 4 OF all have history of injuries, why trade 1 if you know at any given time during the season, one of the 3 OF you keep are going to be on the DL, then who do you start in place of them? If the Dodgers have 4 pretty decent options for 3 OF positions, and know that 3 are injury prone, why not keep all 4 to be able to have a back up in case one is injuried, and if not, they can rotate and give guys days off. I am not saying they dont care about money, but it just doesn’t make sense to trade an OF when 3 out of the 4 have not proven to be able to stay healthy for 90% of the season in the past few years.
No, just the opposite.
Keep kemp Ned your drunk. He’s fine he wAs 10/10 in stolen basest and hit .300 after that slow start and played gold glove d
“Gold glove d” nice joke.
2008Player of the Week Award2009Gold Glove Award, National League Outfielders2009Silver Slugger Award, National League2011Baseball America Player of the Year2011Gold Glove Award, National League Outfielders2011Hank Aaron Award2011Player of the Week Award2011Player of the Year Award, This Year in Baseball / GIBBY2011Players Choice Outstanding Player of the Year Award2011Roy Campanella Award2011Silver Slugger Award, National League2012Player of the Month Award2012Player of the Week Award2012Player of the Week Award2012Wilson Defensive Player of The Year Award
Kemp is by far the best outfielder the Dodgers have had in years.
Gold glove? He is one of the worst defensive outfielders in baseball.
Wow if Seattle lands Kemp and Cano that would be an amazing 3-4 combo to build around. But I’d be much more content if my Reds replaced Choo with Kemp!
Kempify
Ramirez,Justin R. to Red Sox,Middlebrooks to Marlins,Kemp,Seager to Mariners,Miler or Franklin,Weeks,Zunino to Dodgers and Brewers get Morrison?
A five team deal? Wow.
Who is Justin Ramirez?
Apparently someone who is good enough to trade WMB for lol
This is a dumb trade, but its not hard to figure out… Ramirez, is Hanley, Justin R is Ruggiano from the Marlins…
now the fun part where none of this makes sense
LA gets Miller or Franklin, Zunino and Rickie Weeks for Hanley, Seager and Kemp
Boston gets Hanley Ramirez and Justin Ruggiano for Middlebrooks
Seattle gets Seager and Kemp for Miller or Franklin and Zunino
Miami gets Middlebrooks for LoMo
Milwaukee gets LoMo for Weeks..
Wow.
Matt, buddy, this is real life, not a video game. Try to focus more on realistic trades, than fantasy ones, and people won’t be all over you. Have a good day!
What are you throwing at a dart board? How you do you come up with this stuff?
Depending on how much of his contract the Dodgers would pay this would be the exact type of big name the Astros could use to help regain credibility. Their outfield is pretty deep but they also have the prospects to get something like this done.
Also the DH and short porch in left field would give him some increased numbers and stay healthy. Not sure who the Dodgers catcher is but maybe something built around Jason Castro (a California guy) Wojo and Velasquez could get something done? I know the Dodgers need to replenish their upper levels in the minors.
they have a older maybe declining AJ ellis and a younger tim federowicz. but dodgers could always use a bat at catcher
A lot of teams would be interested in Kemp, but with his recent injury history, I don’t know if anyone will pony up the talent that LA will be asking for.
I still have a feeling the Sox are going to be in on Kemp. They aren’t completely sold on JBJ playing center and don’t really wanna sign someone to a giant contract. So as long as the Dodgers eat some money, they could still make a play.
Understand if you get Kemp you’ll give up a lot.
The Sox have plenty of prospects.
they would have to be some IF prospects since dodgers farm doesnt need pitching. however with this news kemp with be a dodger for the forseen future
I don’t think there going to be able to move Kemp this offseason.
If there is nothing wrong with him, why would a team that has unlimited funds trade him. Buyer beware
To get better in other areas of weakness, for starters.
Sort of knew all along this kemp trading thing was not going to happen
So is the Dodgers basically saying, “We weren’t getting close to what we wanted so we never had any intention in trading you”
Kemp to the sox is a must and will get done
they just got rid of an injury prone outfielder
HA!
Remember when Loria told Reyes the same thing and even suggested that he buy himself a home in Miami. Not the same situation, considering the difference in ownership, but it just goes to show that not everything is truthful.
This makes no sense to me. Dodgers wont deal Puig, or ethier in addition to kemp, and no one wants crawford and his contract. Four outfielders, not smart.
Not when 3 of them are among the most injury prone players in the NL.
There are plenty of ABs to be had if Kemp, Ethier and Crawford are all on the team, even with Puig playing RF everyday.
All could be dealt, but it all comes down to price. One thing the Dodgers won’t do is give one away.
Not at all. Colletti has been clear any number of times that he knows quality outfielders don’t grow on trees. Any trade that doesn’t include a plan for the outfield is a nonstarter.
Dodgers never said they wouldn’t deal Ethier. And saying they have “no plans” to trade Kemp is different from saying that they won’t.
What you’re saying here is that Colletti is dangling hooks. Of course he is, and he will continue to do it. We will all be revisiting this in July, no doubt.
What you’re saying here is that Colletti is dangling hooks. Of course he is, and he will continue to do it. We will all be revisiting this in July, no doubt.
this is why were fans and not running teams. who said they wont trade ethier? i havent heard anything about that
I bet the Mariners trade for Kemp and give him 12 years $360 million, just to show the Yankees they can once again outbid themselves.
Finally we can stop hearing about this. Glad to see Kemp in Dodger Blue next season
We’ve heard this all winter so far. Kemp on the block, not on the block. Phillips on the block, not on the block, now on the block. Lee and Hamels on the block, now it’s silly it was even mentioned.
I’ll tell you that I believe every player is on the block, until they’re not.
I am wondering if the Dodgers will switch their attention to Andre Ethier now
well that settle things, im guessing ethier might be the out man out. maybe they are doing this because they couldnt find the right deal for kemp
Would one of Ross,Vehagen, and Thompson, McCann and Worth be enough for the Tigers to get Either and 5 million a year?
There is just no way the Dodgers should trade Kemp if they have to eat a big portion of his salary. His trade value is likely at it’s lowest point right now, if he comes back and hits modestly his value goes up, if he returns to his form then trading him would be ridiculous. Mattingly just has to be able to handle 4 OFs — and this is from a Kemp hater that thinks he’s a baby and the Dodgers let him become a baby when they let him run the veterans out of the clubhouse that didn’t want it to be a party when they were losing — there is just no reason to pay his salary and move him for pennies on the dollar