The trade rumors of Matt Kemp have the fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers divided. Some want him to stay, some want him to leave. Understandably, many fans have been upset with Kemp, with injuries plaguing him since his MVP run in 2011. However this offseason will be the first with no injury rehabs and specific training schedules to heal from any surgery.
The Dodgers clearly have a jam in the outfield, that has been evident throughout the 2014 season, Many players voiced their displeasure, the most recent being Andre Ethier. It is understandable that a player wants more consistent playing time however the manager has the job of putting the best nine players on the field. Clearly, the Dodgers need to move some outfielders. They are obviously going to keep Yasiel Puig and have said they'd like to keep Scott Van Slyke. That means the outfielders on the trading block are: Andre Ethier, Carl Crawford and Matt Kemp.
The player creating the most talk: Matt Kemp. Matt Kemp has gotten the most buzz from other teams, one of the hottest is from San Diego. Last year Matt Kemp played in 150 games, the most of the three. Out of 541 AB his average was .271. Fielding wise he played around the outfield, had a FPCT of .971 and had a total number of errors at 7. It's no surprise that he is drawing the most buzz from opposing teams. However would we want to trade him to a division rival and then have to face him?
Carl Crawford has only been with the Dodgers for two years. He played in 105 games in 2014, had 343 AB and had an average of .300. Fielding wise he had a FPCT of .978 and only had 3 errors. He is only three years older than Matt Kemp and seems to have around the same stats. However there is one thing that plagues Carl Crawford. He is not as fast as the other outfielders on the team. That could be the reason why teams aren't jumping at the chance to get Crawford.
Andre Ethier has been with the Dodgers since his debut in 2006. In 2014 he played in 130 games. He had 341 AB and had an average of .249. Fielding wise his FPCT was .994. He made only 1 error while playing CF, no errors in LF or RF. Andre seems like he would be a good fit for any team, he has decent speed, he has an alright average and seems to have a good fielding percentage.
So why is the Kemp buzz hotter than Carl Crawford and Andre Ethier? On paper they are all relatively the same player and at the same caliber. However Kemp showed the most promise at the end of the 2014 season and has played more than the Ethier and Crawford. He also was NL MVP runner-up in 2011 so many have had their eye on Kemp for awhile. On the other hand, Kemp has done a lot for the team but so has Crawford and Ethier. However I believe Ethier's talents could benefit another team. He hasn't been "Mr. Clutch" for the Dodgers since 2013; it could be time for a change of scenery for him.
Regardless of who leaves, the outfield space needs to clear up. The Dodgers of course want to have space available to be able to let Joc Pederson come up and get in some time. The team can use this debacle to their advantage. They are in need of relief pitching and starting pitching. They are also in need of a long-term catcher. Hopefully by the end of the Winter Meetings the Dodgers will have some of their problems sorted out; but it needs to get done sooner rather than later.
*Stats from here:
Matt Kemp,
Carl Crawford,
Andre Ethier.
