He’s not the superstar he was in his heyday with the Dodgers, but Marlins outfielder Matt Kemp still believes he has plenty left to offer at the major league level. Kemp “wants to play at least four or five more years,” Steven Wine of the Associated Press writes.
“I’m for real. I can still do some damage out there,” Kemp said. “This is a redemption year. I had 40 at-bats last year, but I was an All-Star in 2018. Seriously, I can still play.”
Spending roughly another half-decade in the majors looks like quite a long shot for Kemp, who turned 35 last September. The former MVP candidate couldn’t even get a big league deal during the offseason, forcing him to settle for a minors pact with Miami in December. He’s now competing for a backup role in a corner outfield that also includes Corey Dickerson and Matt Joyce – two players who received guaranteed contracts over the winter – as well as Garrett Cooper.
Although Kemp’s defense has long been maligned, he has nonetheless spent his entire career in the DH-less National League, and he’ll try to return to the NL in 2020. As Kemp noted, he’s only two years removed from producing solid numbers in a Dodgers uniform. That year, Kemp batted .290/.338/.481 with 21 home runs in 506 trips to the plate en route to his third All-Star appearance.
While 2018 represented a nice bounce-back season, last year couldn’t have gone any worse for Kemp, whom the Reds acquired from the Dodgers during the previous winter. Thanks in part to a broken rib, he totaled only 62 plate appearances in Cincinnati and hit .200/.210/.283 with one HR before the club released him in early May. Kemp caught on with the Mets on a minors pact a few weeks later, though his rib issues continued, and he slashed miserable .235/.278/.324 in 36 tries at the Triple-A level. The Mets released Kemp in the first half of July, but he’s clearly of the belief that his career is far from over.
Sugar Land Skeeters are on line one.
Nah, Ham Fighters on line 2 would probably offer seven figures.
If there’s a team out there that could help Kemp with his tender rib, it would have to be Nippon Ham.
GOLD. Comment of the day.
Yes, Kemp on the Skeeters. Sounds right.
Kemp in the bigs for three more years? About the same odds as my date with Cindy Crawford.
Hope your referring to a Cindy Crawford of old my friend lol. With all the work she’s had done I confuse her with Kaytlyn Jenner
You might have to lower your expectations. How about a date with Carl Crawford instead?
At least Carl should be able to pick up the tab.
Cindy Crawford? Holy crap where tf am I? The 80s?
I was thinking if Kemp plays four more seasons in the Majors then my chances with Ana De Armas just went up and yet I have no chance and neither does Kemp when it come to playing four more seasons in the Majors!
national league DH confirmed
Manfred could announce NL DH tomorrow and not one of the 15 teams would sign Kemp for that spot.
He’s Pujols running the bases without the contact skills, power or HoF resume. Mirror image.
And Pujols probably wouldn’t even be in the show anymore if it wasn’t for that mammoth deal.
Nah they have internal options already
He will be lucky if he plays another 4 weeks he’s washed af
Hahahaha
Most confident minor league deal recipient in baseball history
Definitely not happening. He has been terrible on any team not named Dodgers in his career.
Not true, he did well with Atlanta
No. No he did not.
-1.4 WAR is well?
WAR, get real baseball is so much more than crunched Numbers
I’m a fan of WAR, but on a team with the next availible options to hit cleanup being Tyler Fowers or Nick Markakis, you can sacrifice LF defense for power. Throw his -4 dWAR out the window, he was worth 2 wins in 2 seasons in ATL.
Not great….but he got hurt A fair bit. Again, not a good sign…but what we’re the injuries? They were leg issues. Take him out of LF, let him hit only, I think he’s a solid 2-3 WAR player easily.
Over or under on 2.5 for worse mlbtr posters than lowtalker?
How about a smack you in the mouth and call you Susie
He had a 0.0 WAR and a -1.4 WAR in 2 seasons with Atlanta. How bad was he? Francoeur, Garcia, Bonifacio, Smith, Lane Adams, Rodriguez, and Santana all provided more value in the OF than Kemp.
They would have been better off handing a 19 year old Acuna the job in 2017.
Remember when Matt Kemp took steroids then frowned on Ryan Braun for winning an MVP over him while using steroids.. fun stuff.
He loves Braun
Cool story bro
Yeah I don’t remember that happening that way
Neither do I. When did Kemp take steroids? We know Braun is a punk but never heard a word about Kemp.
exactly. is it opposite day?
Doc Ellis his agent?
Only if Kemp does LSD
He must be high on something to think he is going to play 4 more years.
Kansas City Tbones have a bunch of Red Sox, wouldn’t mind the Oklahoma kid playin right across the street From my house
did they re-sign Nava?
Obviously the Yankee replacement for Stanton.
No way, how is he nearly as profoundly impactful as Stanton in the lineup???? I can’t believe you really wrote that! Really?
Hope you know Bobtillman my statement was pure sarcasm in response to your obvious sarcasm…..
Yep, gotcha. Of course Kemp could also replace Mookie…..
No way, I can’t believe you really thought that was serious! Really?
You thought I was serious??? What? Lol mao
Which washed up pro doesn’t hope to play four more years?
He wants to collect 4 more years of paychecks… Who will he sucker into it?
Totally forgot he went back to LA in 2018 and was an all star. Wow. Well I hope things go well for him but as someone who roots for the marlins, I really hope he doesn’t make the team… To many outfielders on this team, let the kids play
Maybe if he gets on roids or hgh and can do it without getting caught.
Every notice the dudes who were the worst players in LL/HS offer the nastiest comments regarding pros?
Dudes that could play are always more sympathetic.
By all means though, keep trashing a guy who loves baseball & wants to keep playing, ya losers.
Haha so true!!!
How do you know these ‘dudes’ were no good at baseball? Maybe they’re awesome at wiffle ball, did you ever think of that? It’s neat to assume things.
I read that wrong I thought it said four more years but realize now it meant four more months. That’s about right…
He’s delusional. Maybe he can provide a tiny bit of incremental value as a DH/bench bat, but good grief, he hasn’t been a great player since 2011 and hasn’t been a good one since 2012. Wish him the best, but there’s zero chance he’s playing MLB ball in.4 years.
Well he’s been an above average hitter every year of his career except 2006 and 2019. Maybe he’s not playing MLB ball in 4 years, but I believe he’s got 2-3 years left of being an average to slightly above average hitter
Most of those years he was only slightly above average, and was average at best in 2017 too. He’s a 35 year old coming off a lost year. I’d be shocked if he bounced back to being above average for 2-3 more years.
Sounds like its Matt Hemp talking.
Kemp always disappeared after the AS game.
Yet for his career, he’s a better player AFTER the break.
This is the kind of egocentric, delusional, over-the-hill veteran the MLBPA continually supports to the detriment of baseball. Kemp and the MLBPA live in the past and cling to antiquated notions that baseball in the 2020’s has moved way past.
I liked him with the Padres. At the time he was one of the only exciting to watch players.
He hit the first ever cycle for the Padres.
Good luck to him this season
hey look, a positive comment in a sea of negativity. figures everyone woulf jump on him after one bad season though.
I’m not sure who he’s trying to convince, us or himself. It kinda reads like a “If I say this out loud enough times I can believe it.”
He’s really good for the first half-season of whatever new team he’s playing for. After that, the shine wears off.
No. He hasn’t. Offense is only part of the game.
When did this place become so toxic?
and they think they are responsible enough for the downvote…
The comments today about a pretty good guy are really brutal. Kemp was a hero to a lot of folks in LA and pretty well thought of.
Yeah, it can get pretty brutal, but really this is the type of non-story that generates terrible discussion points. The guy was very good for a long time but his time has passed. To be so unrealistic as to publicly hope for four more years is not maybe the best move to avoid getting slammed. That said, often this site brings out the worst in people, including me. Kind of sucks because baseball and baseball convo are two great hobbies.
Explain why ambition should be slammed.
Last time Kemp was any good was 2014 for the Dodgers. His career was over for all intents and purposes after that. He has been brutal. -0.6 WAR in those 5 seasons. Has not had one season where he was even average.
So WAR is the be all end all, give me a break. He was quite decent playing for Atlanta. 652AB 103rbi 31HR OPS .855 and .781 2nd year, SLG .519 and .463 2nd year, not so appalling, but yeah, his “career was over” and below ‘average’.
Sid: I didn’t mean to imply ambition should be slammed. My only point is that as a public figure, when you set goals that appear to be unrealistic, which this one does, people are going to call you in it. It’s a performance-based sport, so when you’re not performing any longer, they will tell you that you’re crazy to think you can still do it. One leaves himself open for criticism if one makes claims that are unrealistic.
Look, even good players who hang around for an extra year get severe criticism from fans, ie, Gardner (whom I like), Texiera, ARoids, and even the great Derek Jeter. It’s not an attack on ambition, it’s a reality check on the illusion that one thinks himself better than he is.
That’s like a 105 wRC+ for his time with the braves, while playing bad defense. That is a below average player.
His career wasn’t over at that point. He just had no business playing anywhere other than DH at that point.
Honesty confused as to why he keeps choosing to sign with NL teams. Mets, now Marlins.
I didn’t know Kemp was a comedian……oh wait, he’s serious. Awkward!!!
I remember when they compared Kemp to Dave Winfield. LoL crazy how things change.
Dating Rhianna put his ass in a sling.
Damn, first Tyson, then Tiger, then Kobe, Tony Romo, and now Kemp! It’s the species I tell ya….destroying make professionals all over the place!
Disclaimer ** List was not all inclusive – I just thought of the most popular athletes that I enjoyed watching dominate their respective sports (except Romo… )
Freddy = male hysteria. Whispers of shadows he once thought he saw while dreaming, again, of his mother.
Shame Fredi.
Just go to Korea Kemp.
He hasn’t played the past 5 years and he thinks he can play 4 more. He has a -0.6 WAR the past 5 years. All of the teams he played for could have brought up a decent prospect and they would have provided more value than Kemp for the last 5 years.
Really? Your proof of this is where exactly? Opinions & belief are not facts. WAR is not the be all end all.
Yeah, WAR is overrated garbage and is the only reason why batting average isn’t the most overrated statistic in baseball.
Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
Kemp 2024, Make Miami Great
“At some point in time we’re told, billy, we can no longer play the children’s game, we just don’t know when that’s going to be, some of us are told at eighteen, some of us are told at forty, but we’re all told”
Ah the WARriors coming out to play without the ability to understand real baseball. However, Kemp is well past his prime. That said, not a single one of you took the time to fully comprehend what Kemp said. He might be in-denial, but his attitude is exactly what the Marlins young core needs. Kemp made his money and has had a nice career. Yet he’s still hungry, still has desire and still busts his tail to be out there. I bet Mattingly wanted to give Kemp a shot to make the team and be a leader to a team still finding their way.
Valid points on the leadership/mentorship side of this discussion. But, I doubt it’ll be a contract for four years of clubhouse leader. Still a very valid position.
Kemp is year to year. That’s one reason why I think he’s in-denial.
True story my friend. I hope he does well just because he’s always seemed to lived up to the professional part of baseball.
We have one of those recreational fast pitch leagues around here for old guys who can’t let go. I’ll pass along his name.
Ageism is alive and well, “old guy”….
I appreciate the stability you’ve brought to these boards. Thanks for representing honor and respect Sid
more power to the man. he could go 40-40 and still some metric would dislike him. teams like Miami know he really does have value though.
If THAT is what he truly believes…..
MLB should immediately order a complete drug test protocol
AND
Kemp should be evaluated mentally for concussion related side effects.
He’s right though. He was an all star 2 years ago. The guy can provide value to a team like the marlins
I think he can provide value to that marlins team while their prospects continue to develop. The question really becomes is he going to take away AB’s from prospects if he’s on the roster. I doubt he will, so it seems like a good bench piece at worse for the marlins.
He should go overseas and do that.
Can’t blame the guy for trying. He lost about $5 million when he finally sold his Taj Majal in San Diego.
Dave Kingman is also trying to get a 4 year deal.
I’m pretty sure Kemp still has arthritis in both hips which probably had a lot to do with clubs steering clear of him. Unless a cure is found this year I don’t see him going any further.
I can still play. PLEASE BELIEVE ME!
Hit up Adam Jones in Japan.
Kudos Matt Kemp! Keep grinding. Thats the attitude to have.
how would he find a team for four yrs when Puig cant find a team and hes better. he might be loose in the head but still can smash the ball. good Kemp, good luck.