With the San Diego Padres already facing another lost season, Matt Kemp‘s future with the franchise is once again becoming a topic of conversation.
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Report: Padres Have Made Kemp Available
Wednesday, May 18
Per USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale, the Padres have made Kemp available in potential trade talks for teams that are seeking offensive help in the outfield.
The Padres acquired Kemp from the Los Angeles Dodgers in December 2014 as part of the team’s plan to spend a lot of money with the hopes of making a return to the playoffs.
Instead, the Padres struggled from the start, and general manager A.J. Preller decided not to start selling any of his assets at the trade deadline in July with the hopes players like Kemp, Justin Upton, James Shields and Craig Kimbrel would be enough to turn things around.
Preller’s plan failed, as the Padres finished 74-88 last season and wound up dealing Kimbrel to the Boston Red Sox and lost Upton to the Detroit Tigers in free agency.
The Padres have attempted to move Kemp before with no success. Baseball Essential’s Robert Murray reported prior to spring training they tried to trade him to the Oakland Athletics, but the A’s were “not yet willing to pull the trigger.”
It’s hard to blame the A’s—or any team, for that matter—for not adding Kemp. He’s 31 years old, making $21.5 million in each of the next three years after 2016, per Spotrac, and is hitting .250/.264/.500 in 39 games this season.
Kemp’s power certainly has value, but he’s being paid like a superstar and hasn’t played up to that level since 2014. Unless the Padres are going to kick in a lot of money to make something happen, it will be hard for them to find a team that is willing to pull the trigger on a deal.
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