At first the Matt Kemp trade rumors appeared unrealistic, but now the Los Angeles Dodgers look to be actually be shopping the outfielder in favor of dumping his inflated contract sooner rather than later. Already carrying four strong outfielders signed to big contracts, the loss of Kemp would not kill the Dodgers. Knowing this, several teams are interested in his big bat.
FOX Sports' Jon Morosi reports that the Dodgers have remained on contact with several teams about possibly making a deal for Kemp. The Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers have all checked on the status of the outfielder which appears more fluid leading up to the MLB winter meetings next week.
Along with Kemp, the Dodgers have Carl Crawford, Andre Ethier and Yasiel Puig in the outfield. All four are quality players. All four have large contracts. As they prepare to once again fight for playing time with Kemp, the Dodgers could go ahead and trade off the most expensive of the bunch. Kemp is currently owed $130 million over the next six years. Ethier is due $71.5 million over four years, Puig weighs in at $38 million over five years and Crawford is tagged at $88.5 million over four years. Obviously, the Kemp contract is what hurts the most.
Trading Kemp could be very difficult considering the size of his contract. Teams must also factor in that he is coming off of offseason shoulder surgery that caused a down 2013 season. He also suffered a right hamstring injury along with an ankle issue. He played just 73 games last year, hitting .270 and six home runs. Those numbers are a far cry from his breakout year in 2011 where he hit .324 with 39 home runs and 40 stolen bases.
FOX Sports believes the Mariners could be in play for outfield. The team has money to spend which is the most important part. They have been looking towards outfielders this offseason, expressing interest in Jacoby Ellsbury. If Seattle can get Los Angeles to pick up some of that contract, they might be have a deal in place for Kemp.
If Los Angeles really wants to trade Kemp, they will have to agree in picking up a large portion of the $130 million deal. They also will have to wait for other free agents to be taken off the board first in order to corner the market. Shin-Soo Choo is also being heavily scouted, along with Ellsbury, and they could greatly determine what happens with Kemp.