The Los Angeles Dodgers completed a surprising blockbuster trade on Saturday, acquiring Matt Kemp from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Adrian Gonzalez, Brandon McCarthy, Scott Kazmir, Charlie Culberson and cash considerations.
With the Dodgers prioritizing getting below the luxury tax in 2018, they were able to unload more than $40 million in salary. Kemp has the same $40 million remaining on his contract, although it’s spread out over two years.
Although he’s 33-years-old, Kemp has proven to still be a productive player in the big leagues, as in 115 games for the Braves in 2017, and hit .276/.318/.463 with 19 home runs and 64 RBIs.
While he could battle for the starting left field spot this spring for the Dodgers, he may not get a chance to put on a Dodger uniform again as according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, he may end up being traded or released:
Sources: Kemp unlikely to play for #Dodgers. Strong candidate to be traded or released.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 16, 2017
Due to the enormity of Kemp’s contract, it may not be easy to trade him as the Dodgers will either need to eat a significant portion of his salary, which they did when they first traded Kemp to the San Diego Padres in 2014, or they will need to attach top prospects in a potential deal.
With Kemp’s defense diminishing in the latter part of his career, but his bat still being relatively productive, the most likely scenario would be trading him to an American League team where he can serve as a designated hitter.
Although the main goal of the trade with the Braves was to get below the luxury tax threshold, it also opened up three spots on the 40-man roster so it will be interesting to see what else the Dodgers do this offseason to fill them.
