Dodgers Rumors: Carl Crawford Included In Trade Talks
Despite some of the uncertainty surrounding Kemp’s future with the Dodgers, he started each of the three games with the Giants and has been in the lineup for eight of the last 10 games. Kemp has emerged as the regular starter in right field with Yasiel Puig in center and Carl Crawford in left.
While Kemp has been the focal point in trade rumors, the Dodgers have also included Carl Crawford in talks, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports:
Sources: Dodgers floating Carl Crawford to teams. Still owed $69.25M thru 2017. Unclear how much $ Dodgers would eat. Will need to be a lot.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 28, 2014
Passan also reported the Dodgers are making a concerted effort to alleviate the crowded outfield before the trade deadline:
Between Kemp, Crawford — and don't forget Ethier — it's clear Dodgers are trying to use July 31 deadline to clear their outfield logjam.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 28, 2014
Crawford is hitting .242 and has four home runs to go with 20 RBIs this season. He missed roughly six weeks with a sprained ankle that opened the door for Kemp to receive regular playing time in left field, which played into his resurgence this season.
During his time on the disabled list, Crawford expressed frustration with the outfield situation and wondered where he fit in with Kemp in left field at the time.
Since returning, Crawford has been the regular starter in left and hit a key RBI triple in Sunday’s win. As Passan notes, a trade involving any of Crawford, Ethier or Kemp, would likely necessitate the Dodgers to pay a significant amount of the traded player’s remaining salary.
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Leaked Houston Astros Trade Talks Reveal Dodgers Shopped Carl Crawford
It is no coincidence that when Crawford went on the DL, and it became more of a “given” that the OF would be Kemp, Puig and Ethier, the team started playing well. I am not saying that Crawford was the issue, only that 4 OFs for 3 positions had guys fearing the bench if they had an 0-4 night. That might motivate some guys to play harder, but Crawford, Kemp and Ethier all have more “fragile” psyches and it just makes them play worse.
What happens if someone gets hurt again
I would trade either Crawford because of his contract and he’s injury prone, or, Ethier because of his age plus he can’t seem to hit lefties anymore…
I think trading Kemp would be a major mistake. He is coming back and though he has the biggest contract (which means the Dodgers would have to eat a MAJOR portion of it) He is only 29 and by far has the biggest upside.. Imagine how it would feel to be paying Kemp to be MVP for another team!
Just know they need to trade someone in outfield because of the dissension it is creating in the outfield. Plus, we could use another good pitcher, but not one we are going to rent until end of season if we have to throw in a prospect. I so want to keep our best prospects, but I am willing to give one up for a another good pitcher that we aren’t renting.