Could NL West foes be lining up to make a major trade at the Winter Meetings? Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY tweeted earlier today
“The San Diego Padres looming as the most likely destination for Dodgers Matt Kemp, offering Yasmani Grandal and one other player to LA.”
The Padres’ offensive woes are well known and it doesn’t help that playing in cavernous PETCO Park can make even the best offensive players look rather meek. However, after proving he was healthy in the second half of the 2014 season Kemp and his majestic power would be an excellent fit in San Diego.
Kemp has generated the most trade interest in the Dodgers glut of outfielders that includes Yasiel Puig, Andre Ethier, Carl Crawford, Scott Van Slyke, Joc Pederson and the recently acquired Chris Heisey. Basic math can tell you that is too many outfielders. Kemp is signed through 2019 and still has over $100 million remaining on his massive contract, but the fact that when healthy he is an offensive force is enough to make the offense-starved Padres pull the trigger. He hit .287 last year and mashed 25 baseballs out of the ballpark, that thought has new Padres GM AJ Peller salivating at the thought of Kemp hitting clean-up in San Diego.
To get talent you have to give up some and the Padres would be giving up a talented young catcher in Yasmani Grandal. While Grandal hasn’t quite panned out the way San Diego hoped he would after dealing for him a few years ago (in the Mat Latos deal) his upside is what is really getting the Dodgers excited. As Nightengale eluded to in his tweet another piece would have to accompany Grandal to Chavez Ravine to make a deal work. It looks like this deal has some legs to it and this would certainly make for a blockbuster at this years Winter Meetings.
Matt Cote is a MLB Writers for BaseballEssential.com
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