The San Diego Padres have tried to trade outfielder Matt Kemp, according to league sources.
Mickey Koke of ThroughTheFenceBaseball.com tells me that Kemp hasn’t been involved in any of the offseason fan promotions or uniform unveiling. Kemp also was not mentioned by manager Andy Green when asked about the outfield. He did name five of the teams outfielders, but failed to list Kemp.
One league source suggests that the Padres have talked to the Oakland Athletics about trading Kemp to Oakland in exchange for “a number of prospects,” but the A’s have yet to pull the trigger on a deal.
It’s unclear if talks between the two sides are advanced, but it’s probably unlikely the Athletics would do a trade without the Padres eating some of Kemp’s salary.
Athletics general manager David Forst told reporters, including the AP’s Janie McCauley, that the teams payroll is not an issue and that they have “room to spend.”
Kemp is scheduled to earn $21.5 million in every season through 2019.
In 154 games in his first season with the Padres, Kemp hit .265 with 23 home runs and 100 RBI.
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