Dodgers: Possible Trade Destinations for Matt Kemp

Matt Kemp is a Dodger again, for now at least. As soon as the former Dodger all-star was re-acquired in a trade with the Braves, Andrew Friedman tried to move Kemp and as much of his contract as possible. Here are a few teams that could be interested in acquired Matt Kemp.

The original deal that sent Kemp to the Padres left the fan base split on the decision to move a player who they’ve seen grow into someone who should have won the MVP in 2011. Now we are in the same predicament, half of the fan base wants him to stay, and half want him gone. It looks like the latter will likely be the ones that are happy with the outcome.

Clubhouse cancer, diva, injury prone and defensive liability are the phrases many utter when they think of Matt Kemp. However, teams will be happy to look over all of that as long as he keeps doing what he does best. Hit the cover off the ball. His offense alone will get teams interested in Matt Kemp at the right price.

Getting teams to bite on Kemp will take some convincing, but luckily the Dodgers have one of the best in the business, Andrew Friedman. He will likely get moved, and if he isn’t traded, it is hard to imagine him playing for the Dodgers again. So rather than release him for nothing they should get on the phone and start their sales pitch to opposing teams.

When picking up that phone, the first call should be to an in-state team. The Oakland Athletics. A team notorious for taking flyers on a player that is aging, and near the end of his career. The only problem with dealing with this team is the amount of Kemp’s contract the Dodgers will have to eat.

But even if the Dodgers can do this it will be better than releasing him. This move would give them at least some help with staying under the luxury tax, even if that help is minimal. Something is better than nothing. This deal would likely include a player to be named later and cash considerations returning to the Dodgers for Kemp and cash.

Another team that could be a fit would be the Philadelphia Phillies. A team that has been bad these last few years, finally have some young pieces to build around. They could use a veteran to play in one of the corner outfield spots. With the acquisition of Carlos Santana, Rhys Hoskins will be in the other corner outfield spot and Odubel Herrera will be playing center field.

Considering how cheap their roster is because a lot of them are still on their original deals, the Phillies would be able to take on more of Kemp’s Contract than the A’s. They would not take on the entire contract because of that illustrious 2018 free agent class.

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The Phillies could be somewhat competitive and might have a shot to sneak into a playoff spot and arrive a year early, much like the Twins last season. With the NL East being dominated by the Nats nobody else is very good.

The Mets are never healthy, The Braves are still in rebuilding mode, and well the Marlins are having a going out of business sale with their team apparently. So they could be intrigued with Kemp and adding his veteran bat into a very young lineup and compete. This trade would likely include a lower end prospect and the Dodgers eating half of the Kemp contract.

The final team that could be a landing spot is the Blue Jays. This team saw the worst case scenario happen the last two off-seasons. Two division rivals landed the big fish. The Red Sox in 2016 with Chris Sale and the Yankees this year with Giancarlo Stanton. With an aging team who have expiring contracts, this could be a final hoorah for the team from Canada.

One of Kemp’s major flaws is defense. Luckily for the Blue Jays, they have quite possibly the best defensive center fielder in baseball with Kevin Pillar. He will help mask Kemp’s flaw by covering all that ground in the outfield.

The big reason for this deal for the Blue Jays would be for a reason I stated earlier. This could be the last time for a while that the Blue Jays have any shot to make noise in this loaded division that has the Yankees and Red Sox who are going to very good for a very long time.

Kemp is obviously no Giancarlo Stanton, but he can bring even more depth to an already pretty deep lineup. The Blue Jays should take a long hard look at Matt Kemp. The Dodgers would have to eat more than what they would with the Phillies but still less than with the A’s.

If we want to get crazy, we can get a bad contract swap part two for another former Dodger, Russell Martin. This not only would give them slim salary relief, but it would provide the Dodgers with the freedom to move Grandal.  Moving Grandal’s contract would save them some space in the cap. This is unlikely, but you never know with Andrew Friedman.

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With any team, the Dodgers will have to eat a good chunk of Kemp’s contract if they want to move him. If not they can make another bad contract swap until they get what they want. Either way, Kemp is likely going to be moved, and these three teams are possible destinations for the veteran.