Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp is garnering interest in trade talks, but he's owed $107 million over the next five seasons. The Dodgers have already had talks with the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres but not much has developed.
President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman made it known the team would explore options to rid themselves of one of their costly outfielders. Kemp, Carl Crawford and Andre Ethier are those players, and it's not going to be an easy task. FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal said the Dodgers engaged in talks with the Padres, but San Diego is merely doing their due diligence in acquiring an outfielder.
The Mariners appear to be doing the same, with Jon Morosi of FOX Sports mentioning their interest in Kemp, Yoenis Cespedes and Justin Upton. However, Seattle would only be getting one year out of Cespedes and/or Upton if they fail to sign either of them to an extension. It's also possible the Red Sox and Braves might be asking more in return for these two outfielders because of their fairly decent price for 2015 and good production over the years.
Kemp, on the other hand, is owed a lot of money and has had an injury history over the past few seasons. If the Padres or Mariners are serious about making a trade for an outfielder, could Kemp be the better option because he'd potentially require less of a return? After all, the 30-year-old rebounded well in 2014 after batting .287/.346/.506 with 25 home runs and 89 RBIs in 150 games. The Dodgers are perhaps looking to rid themselves of Kemp the most because they have prospect Joc Pederson, who is also a center fielder and ready to come up to the big leagues.
Los Angeles is in need of a pitcher and/or shortstop. Both the Padres and Mariners have what they need and the options are plentiful. San Diego has shortstop Evereth Cabrera and pitchers Andrew Cashner, Ian Kennedy or Odrisamer Despaigne they can dangle in a package deal. Seattle has Chris Taylor and Brad Miller at shortstop (who would be decent defensive options) and a deep pitching staff. Of those starters, Hisashi Iwakuma or Taijuan Walker could be the ones the team might be willing to give up to fill a need in the outfield.
Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times says it's unlikely the Mariners surrender one of the above-mentioned starters for Cespedes or Upton because they'd only be one-year rentals. But what about for Kemp? They'd get five years out of Kemp, albeit at a hefty annual salary, and the Dodgers could add depth to their starting rotation, which looks iffy after the No. 3 slot.
As for the Padres, they might be hard-pressed to give up the talented players listed above, but maybe they can package one of them with one of their catchers. According to Rosenthal, the Padres have received a ton of inquiries regarding their three catchers - Yasmani Grandal, Rene Rivera and Austin Hedges. Los Angeles is in need of one since A.J. Ellis isn't quite getting it done and is arbitration-eligible this offseason. The Toronto Blue Jays signed Russell Martin, leaving the free-agent market thin for catchers, so this could be a decent option for both of these teams in a trade.
Kemp has been the subject of trade talks since last winter under two general managers. The Dodgers are serious about moving him and it could happen soon.
