Editorials

Dodgers News: Matt Kemp Calls Trade To Padres ‘Shocking’

Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

After spending the 2014 season working on different combinations in the outfield and managing the egos involved, the new Los Angeles Dodgers’ front office was likely to break up the surplus in an effort to address deficiencies on the roster.

While the Dodgers were believed to be shopping Carl Crawford, Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp, it was Kemp who routinely was mentioned in trade rumors. The speculation has all but become reality as the Dodgers reportedly agreed to send him, Tim Federowicz and $32 million to offset some of Kemp’s remaining salary to the San Diego Padres for Yasmani Grandal and two pitching prospects.



The trade has yet to be made official, but Kemp shared his feelings on being dealt in an interview with CBS’ Jim Hill:

When you’re with a team as long as I was with a team, it’s pretty shocking. I mean that’s the first thing you think about and then you kind of sit back and you realize you know it’s a business and things happen.”

The Dodgers selected Kemp in the sixth round of the 2003 draft and he made his Major-League debut with the team in 2006. Kemp’s best season was in 2011 when he hit .324/.399/.586 with 39 home runs, 126 RBIs and added 40 stolen bases.

In what was an MVP-caliber season, Kemp finished second in the voting behind Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun — a controversial decision at the time that looked worse when Braun later was at the center of a doping scandal.

After recovering from offseason ankle surgery, Kemp got off to a slow start that coincided with him being removed from center field. He eventually settled in as a right fielder and came into his own at the plate in the second half. Turning 30 years old didn’t slow the outfielder down as he found his swing and supplied power for a lineup that was void with it due to Hanley Ramirez’s hot-and-cold season.

Kemp now joins the Padres, a team that was in desperate search of a power hitter this winter, with five years remaining on his contract and new challenges lying ahead.

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Lakers Guard Nick Young Also Shocked With Matt Kemp Trade

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20 Comments

  1. We are with you Matt…and considering the crap we got back…down right stupid

  2. We wish you nothing but the best, Matt. You are easily one of the top 5 players in the game and I know you will pick up right where you left off.

      1. His 2nd half numbers this year are an indication that he is back on track to what he was prior to his injuries.

        1. all it indicated is he got hot the 2nd half of the year. Could he be back? possibly, but its time for the youngster to come up and PUig to move back to RF.

          1. ITS GOING TO TAKE PEDERSON AT LEAST A YEAR OR TWO TO LEARN HOW TO HIT UP HERE IN THE SHOW. JUST BECAUSE HE DID GOOD AT TRIPLE AAA doesn’t mean hes going to do good up here with the big club.friedman said he wanted to go younger then why did hr sign a 39 yr old pitcher that’s wayyyyy past his prime. been a dodgers fsn since 1955.good luck new dodgers.

    1. Take your negativity elsewhere man. This guy busted his ass for the dodgers. He will make them regret it every year.

    2. I agree with you KillaB. Kemp has been nothing but an egomaniac wimp since 2011. All his weak willed little bitch fans on here are not REAL Dodger fans, they are simply Matt Kemp groupies. Hey, then why don’t you all just buy season tickets to the SD games? Their only 2 hours down the freeway and it will make Dodger Stadium more solid without all you dummies.

      1. I have been a fan of the Dodgers for many, many years and obviously a lot longer than you. You need to take off your rose shaded glasses and see what a stupid move this deal was. In return we got two prospect pitchers and a steroid using catcher. That’s a joke, but I am not laughing. Matt isn’t even my favorite player and I can see how stupid this move is. Unless the FO pulls something out of their ass and gets us some decent pitching we are not going to be winning any division or world series next year.

        1. Unless you go back before September 1980 you are not as long a Dodger fan as me. I apologize for my previous tone, as I’d much rather focus my contempt on Giant fans. But this trade is a good one. Kemp was a clubhouse distraction. Torre and Grady Little had issues with him too. He’s selfish and underachieving. Melky Cabrera and others have bounced back big time from PED’S. Grandal is a good young catcher.

  3. I can see already what this new crew of “Analytics” driven new school are all about at dodgers camp. It was no reason to let Kemp go in the non-signing of Hanley ramirez. they got Rollins, kendrick and dumped Dan Haren.. that lineup WITH Matt would have been very potent with kendrick and rollins ,agon,puig and Uribe, but they got greedy to do a salary dump, and They paid 32 million to boot. I’m not a Pederson advocate…he’s not ready yet, can’t hit curve ball at AAA level yet , swing & strike out too much still too. he’s no Puig. we will see how all this plays out in April.. Dodgers fan since 1960..seen a lot!

  4. Lets not mince words – Kemp had the MVP stolen by the cheater in MN, who literally got off on a technicality and didn’t have the decency or honor to refuse the prize. Good luck in SD ( but not too good.)

    1. Agree that Ryan Braun is a cheater, but please note he plays for the Milwaukee Brewers. Milwaukee is in Wisconsin, not Minnesota. Please don’t insult our state by linking it with Braun.

  5. Less power in the lineup..,.agreed. Much better defense which means less runs allowed. Paves the way to sign pitching, allows competition in the outfield, and honestly, Matt is a diva. It typically always about Matt…….it gets old to everyone. He is stats will drop in a bigger field, the padres will not win and Matt will start talking…….hope the best for him, but glad to move on!

  6. Where do I begin, team loses a bunch of right handed power in Kemp and Hanley, little to no speed in losing Gordon. I am wondering if Friedman and Zaidi think Rollins, Crawford, Pederson will steal enough bases to terrify opposing defenses, and also if Puig and Gonzalez will provide enough power to negate the loss of Kemp.

    Its going to be a sad 2015 season for the Dodgers, and I think the campaign to be Ned back as GM should start.

  7. I am not happy about losing Dee Gordon, but we had to give up something. Basically they turned Dee into Rollins and Kendrick…not a bad move. But I think getting rid of Kemp was a good move. It raises team chemistry 110%. Just that alone was worth it. Grandal is gonna be better outside of the shithole that is San Diego. Who on earth wants to play with the Madres?! A fitting place to send the preening egotist Kemp.

    1. I totally agree with your assessment, as I write this on Dec 18, it has been revealed now that Kemp has arthritic hips. People just don’t want to believe it but Kemp has had two great seasons, 2009 and 20ll. He then had a great month in April 2012 and a great two months in August and September 2014. Dodger fans somehow consider him a great player, he isn’t. He is a nice guy, I like Kemp but he is far from great. He’s an awful defender and now due to injury he has lost his speed. If San Diego backs out of this trade, he will end up as a DH in the AL which is where he belongs right now.

  8. It’s a tough call to trade Kemp. Now with Ramirez and Kemp gone, there’ll be a lack of power. But the Dodgers have never really been a power hitting team. They say the chemistry will be better, but teams have won in the past with bad clubhouse chemistry. If Joc is going to play center, there’s still too many outfielders.

  9. “…it’s business and things happen.” One of the great shortcomings that has evolved in professional sports. This is a sad day for Dodger Blue and MLB in general.

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