Just a few weeks after the season ended, the Los Angeles Dodgers already have a formidable off-season to handle this coming winter. One of the few positive notes for this year’s Dodgers team is MLB’s announcement of the inevitable – Cy Young and NL MVP awards for the phenom Clayton Kershaw. On the business side, a flood of headaches are soon to come with possible trades involving their juggling of outfielders Andre Ethier, Carl Crawford and the interesting case of Matt Kemp.
Farhan Zaidi and the Dodgers’ front office have made it no secret that they are open to getting some talent in exchange for Kemp this off-season, as they tried back in July before the trade deadline. Kemp is the obvious favorite to be traded out of the three (Crawford and Ethier) off of talent alone, as he has shown his ability to produce as a five-tool player. The biggest issue for L.A., just like every team, is money. Kemp is signed through the 2019 season and is just about halfway through his eight-year $160 million contract. He is still owed $107 million, which puts the Dodgers in a strenuous position. Do they swallow their debt, cross their fingers and hope Kemp can produce at his peak for the next four years? Or do they make an audacious move to trade Kemp for a high-profile player by drawing that player into the second biggest sports market in the world. A risky decision either way, but where do you think Matt Kemp stands?
The past three years have been anything but easy for Matt, at least concerning the constant criticism he receives. 2011 was his breakout year when he finished second in the NL MVP voting and made his first of two all-star appearances. Back-to-back outstanding years for Kemp pushed him to the top of the list of elite players; but one injury brought that all back down according to most baseball analysts. In 2013 he suffered a severe ankle injury which left him playing in 73 games that year. Obviously the numbers did not match his performance in 2011, but did Matt Kemp really fall off? Is it the tough environment in L.A. and the mega contract he signed following that year that put this immense pressure to perform on Kemp’s back? That is most likely, but his numbers are not as bad as one would think.
Technically he was on the DL to start this past season, only to return for the home opener. It was evident that Kemp did have a slow first half, but he performed well when they needed him most on the road to the playoffs. Maybe Kemp did not hit 40 homers this year but he did tie his career-high in doubles and still sustained a slugging percentage of over .500. Remember during the summer when there was a huge buzz going around about how the Dodgers were ready to deal Kemp to Boston for Lester?
Imagine how that could have played out in this year’s playoff scene.
Back to the matter at hand, and that is Kemp’s ability to shrug off the pressure of trade talk by producing night after night. I mean, the guy didn’t even know if he was going to be benched that day or play in a corner spot with which he isn’t familiar. He faced playing behind a guy like Ethier (whose career is clearly on the downside) or even Crawford (who does not put up half the offensive numbers Kemp does, not to mention the constant injuries Crawford deals with). In my mind the Dodgers have dealt with Matt Kemp the wrong way.
Let me just summarize Kemp’s career for the past three years. The 2011 season was definitely the one that put him on the map and landed him a big-time deal. Following that year Kemp put up another successful campaign with a consecutive all-star appearance. In 2013 Kemp was plagued by injuries and couldn’t produce at his full potential. This past season he started slow but finished fast with a .309 BA, .606 slugging, and 17 dingers after the break. Oh, and let me just add that this was all with 70 fewer at-bats than the first half of the season. Matt Kemp was on fire to finish the season and is on the rise, but technically he never fell off. There is a lot of skepticism about his health, which is understandable. But I believe Kemp is going to prove all his critics wrong this coming year.
The time has come for Kemp to make a change in his career. He has been in L.A. for eight years but this off-season may be the most opportune time for him to leave a team that has continued to struggle in the playoffs even with the highest paid roster in the league. A trade looks to be a positive move for both parties as the Dodgers are in dire need of a supplemental bullpen and a stronger defense.
Look for Matt Kemp, whether in L.A. or not, to compete with a ferocious intensity that will decimate any uncertainty concerning his productivity in the coming years.
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