Dodgers: The Three Options for Matt Kemp and What Each Mean

Designate for assignment

Perhaps the most straightforward option of the three is to DFA the 33-year-old left fielder.

The Dodgers have already accomplished their goal in terms of freeing salary. By getting rid of Gonzalez, McCarthy, and Kazmir, the team removed three deals most people thought would never be moved until they hit free agency. So, with the heavy lifting done, the front office could choose to just give Matt Kemp what he is owed and let him sign with a new team.

That being said, there are potential negatives to just releasing Kemp and the first of which is they would be paying him all of his money. This may sound like a small issue in the grand scheme of things but paying someone $43 million upfront packs a powerful punch. If the Dodgers were to DFA Kemp they would also be shutting the door on any last minute trade opportunities and would obviously be turning away any potential use they could get out of him.

DFA’ing Kemp would also have its benefits. At this point there is nothing to suggest that Kemp has what it takes to be an every day, starting outfielder. His age, attraction to injury and declining defensive abilities are all factors that would be pretty attractive on another roster, not the Dodgers. With a young group of outfielders currently ready to go, Kemp would find himself in a bench role anyway and that is one expensive contract to just leave on the bench. On top of the statistics and baseball-related reasons, Kemp’s infamous attitude issues do the Dodgers no good.

Also worth addressing is the question of why wouldn’t Kemp be claimed and traded for? The answer to that is fairly simple in that no team would make a claim on Kemp. If he gets DFA’d and does not get claimed off of waivers he would be released and resigned somewhere on a smaller more cost effective contract. It’s safe to assume that any DFA move would result in free agency for Kemp.

The team is seeing a new wave of rookies and very young players taking over the roster. The team needs positive influences in the clubhouse and based on his track record, Kemp is not that. So, DFA’ing him could just avoid any potential problems on and off the field.

Trade

Trading Kemp is the most attractive option and is everyone’s goal at this point. That being said, it appears the market for Kemp does not exist. Matt Kemp does not have much working for him when it comes to being traded. His age, contract, and attitude all serve as big turn-offs to a potential suitor.

So, if Friedman can pull of a trade it would have to be done one of two ways. The first is he would have to swallow part of Kemp’s contract in order to make him more affordable to another team. This would allow the Dodgers to get him off the roster at a cheaper price than just releasing and paying. The second and more problematic option is to include a top-tier prospect.

Kemp’s market may be small but it is also one that can be manipulated should the Dodgers choose to. By including top-tier prospects, the Dodgers could make Kemp’s ugly contract look a lot sweeter, especially to a team looking to rebuild.

That being said though, including top prospects, is my first and biggest con. If the only way to trade Kemp is packaging him with big-name prospects it would need to be thoroughly investigated as to how much that really helps the team. Depending on who the Dodgers would need to trade, paying Kemp his $43 million to just walk away may be more beneficial in the long run.

Prospects like Yadier Alvarez, Keibert Ruiz, and others have been discussed in potential deals with Kemp. If the Dodger can make a Kemp and Alvarez deal work then I am all for it but the jury is still out on how much more I would do. Trading Kemp with the right prospect is, to me, the most attractive of these three outcomes because it prevents the Dodgers from paying big cash. At the same time, it also may cost the Dodgers a player they can use in the future.

A Kemp trade would just further along the success of the previous trade and would set the Dodgers up very nicely to participate in next year’s mega-free agency class. But the biggest issue here is how far are they willing to go to make a trade happen?

Keeping Kemp

Here we go, the controversial choice! Like it or not, Matt Kemp could very well be on the roster to start the season. I have been very open in my support for this option because it does a couple of things for the team.

First, it gives Kemp the opportunity to contribute positively to the roster. He could be used in a platoon outfield role and could even serve as a veteran mentor that nobody believes he can be. People change. I have also made it clear that if Kemp does not change the attitude then the Dodgers can kiss him goodbye and move on.

Second, keeping Kemp until it’s not beneficial saves both prospects and money. They would not have to force a trade using elite young players and they would be preventing themselves from shelling out the money in a DFA situation. Again, providing he works well both on and off the field, keeping Kemp could save the Dodgers in a lot of areas. This to me seems like a reasonable choice as both of the other choices can still happen if they choose to keep him.

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The obvious cons to this are the risks that come with keeping Kemp and his potentially poisonous attitude. Should Kemp return to the clubhouse there runs the risk that he continues his rather selfish ways. Should this happen one could predict that Kemp would be DFA’d to prevent further damage.

There are benefits and risks to each of these three options. What must be understood though is this is all secondary to a goal that was already accomplished. The Dodgers have freed themselves of binding contracts and have done so by taking on a player that does not hurt the payroll. When one of these three options happen I firmly believe it will all work out for the better. It will be interesting to see which path the Dodgers choose.

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