Dodgers outfield situation remains unclear as trade rumors swirl
Another day, another Los Angeles Dodgers outfield story. Actually on Thursday there were two, one involving Matt Kemp and the other involving Andre Ethier.
It’s no secret that the Dodgers have a surplus of outfielders. After acquiring Chris Heisey from Cincinnati on Tuesday, Los Angeles now has seven outfielders under contract with MLB experience, including top prospect Joc Pederson who made his debut in September.
That’s seven players competing for three starting spots. There’s a trade to be made and Kemp and Ethier are the most likely candidates to be on the move.
The Padres are the latest team to be linked with Kemp. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports is reporting that Los Angeles and San Diego have discussed a package that would include catcher Yasmani Grandal. The Orioles and Mariners are also rumored to have interest in Kemp.
Ethier was largely relegated to a bench role in 2014 after being supplanted by Yasiel Puig and to a lesser extent Carl Crawford. Ethier would be OK with a trade, telling the Los Angeles Times that he wants to start next season and if that opportunity comes away from the Dodgers then so be it:
“It’s one where I said through my agent, I want to play every day, and that’s what I’m expecting to do this year. It’s their decision to make from there what they want to do with that. I want to be playing every day and be in the lineupe very day and find a way to contribute.”
Kemp, 30, has five years and $107 million left on his deal while Ethier, 32, is still owed $56 million and remains under contract through the 2017 season. If either ends up getting traded, Los Angeles is going to have to eat some or most of that cash, which shouldn’t be too much of a problem given their considerable payroll.
For the time being Kemp and Ethier are still with the Dodgers, but with the Winter Meetings just around the corner, it may not be for much longer. By the time Opening Day rolls around, there’s a good chance at least one of them won’t be in Los Angeles.
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