On the same day the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Matt Kemp in a five-player trade with the Atlanta Braves, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman made it clear his future with the team was hardly on solid ground.
Yet, with players due to report for Spring Training in less than one month, Kemp remains part of the Dodgers organization. The 33-year-old was not on hand for Dodgers FanFest at Dodger Stadium on Saturday.
Will he join the team at Camelback Ranch? “As of now, yeah,” Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi said. “We’re a couple weeks away.
“He’s going be one of our guys in camp. We got a little bit of an open competition in left field, and I think he’s going to be part of that competition.”
With Chris Taylor figuring to man center field, and Yasiel Puig in right, it leaves Kemp, Kiké Hernandez, Joc Pederson, Andrew Toles, Trayce Thompson and Alex Verdugo vying for time in left field.
In the past, that kind of uncertainty would irk Kemp. But Dodgers manager Dave Roberts doesn’t anticipate that being an issue, should Kemp remain with the team.
“Understanding we have a lot of talent on our ballclub, and a defined role right now, really for a lot of guys, is hard to do,” Roberts said.
“I talked to him maybe about a week ago. Just wanted to reiterate to him, be open-minded. It’s a different clubhouse than when he left, there’s a lot of good players. He assured me that all he wants to do is be on a winner. The opportunity to come back to Los Angeles is a dream that he never thought could happen again. So he’s thrilled.”
Roberts added Kemp made a positive impression on his new teammates when he joined several of them for a work out at Dodger Stadium. It’s a sentiment Zaidi echoed, but in the same breath highlighted the Dodgers depth that further muddies the picture.
“Part of the issue is we have a pretty crowded outfield. We’ve got Chris Taylor, Puig, Andrew Toles coming back, Joc Pederson, Alex Verdugo who is basically big-league ready,” Zaidi said.
“So, for any outfielder coming in to our situation, it’s not a great spot. There aren’t at-bats readily available. [Kemp] understands the dynamic. He understands we’re open to having dialogue with other teams that do have at-bats for him. But, also, that he’s going to have a chance to prove himself if he’s still in this organization.”
Should Kemp remain with the Dodgers, he’s viewed as a left fielder. “But he still has the ability to spell Yasiel and play right, too,” Roberts said.
Trading Kemp, who’s owed $43 million over the next two seasons, doesn’t prove to be an easy task for Friedman and Zaidi. Doing so would likely require the team to pay a significant portion of his remaining salary and/or include prospects in a trade.
That Kemp has yet to be traded may say more about the market for an aging outfielder than reluctance on the Dodgers’ part to entice a team to take on the 2011 National League MVP runner-up.
But while their preference may be clear, the Dodgers don’t appear to consider it a forgone conclusion that Kemp cannot be on their roster come Opening Day. “We haven’t made any secret of the fact that trade was financially motivated,” Zaidi said.
“But, a motivated Matt Kemp can help a lot of teams in baseball, including us. I think it’s our responsibility to keep our options open and let this play out. If he proves to be somebody that can help us on the field, that’s what everybody here wants.”
