According to The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo, the Red Sox spent “significant time” last week watching outfielder Matt Kemp as they continue to seek a right-handed bat. Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti, however, told Cafardo he’s not moving Kemp.
There probably isn’t much to see here. Aside from Colletti extinguishing the otherwise juicy baseball talking point, the Dodgers almost certainly would have to pay a large chunk of cash to deal the 29-year-old outfielder. Kemp, who signed an eight-year, $160 million contract extension before the 2012 season, will have five years and $107 million remaining on his current deal after the 2014 season.
That’s a hefty sum, especially for an injury-plagued player hitting .275 with seven homers, 28 RBIs and a .335 on-base percentage in 66 games. Kemp has played better of late to reestablish some value, but he still represents a risk. Kemp, who was the National League MVP runner-up in 2011, played in just 73 games in 2013 and 106 games in 2012 because of injuries.
Kemp currently is part of a crowded outfield mix that also includes Carl Crawford, Andre Ethier, Yasiel Puig and Scott Van Slyke.
