A report today from Bob Nightingale of USA Today has revealed that there are major problems with Matt Kemp’s physical, as an exam revealed that Kemp has arthritis in both hips. The Padres “continue to consult medical experts” in determining if they will indeed finalize the trade made for Kemp during last week’s winter meetings.
The holdup in Matt Kemp trade is because the physical revealed arthritis in both hips. The #Padres continue to consult medical experts.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 18, 2014
The 30-year-old Kemp batted .309 with 17 homers and a .971 OPS in 64 games after the All-Star break last season. However he may have shown some signs of limited mobility in the outfield which could be an issue related to the hips, and one that certainly won’t get better if the report is true.
It is unclear if the Padres and Dodgers must finalize the deal today, or if the teams have another 48 hours due to the failed test. There have been conflicting reports on this issue in the baseball media.
One issue though is how Bob Nightingale even got this scoop. If it came from the Padres it could be a major violation of HIPAA and how that effects the trade and the organization going forward is something to watch.
Information damages Kemp in public realm. Gives appearance of #Padres trying to leverage medical information. And is a violation of HIPAA.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 18, 2014
The holdup on this trade may also have implications for another trade, as it has been said that the Dodgers were going to flip one of the prospects they received from San Diego to the Phillies in order to get short stop Jimmy Rollins. However, according to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com “the trade that will send Rollins to the Dodgers remains in place” and will be completed with a different player going to Philly should the Kemp deal fall through.
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