Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com reported today that Matt Kemp will take his physical with the Padres tomorrow, which is one of the first hurdles to finalizing the chain of events that will formally transform the Dodgers’ roster this week.
Once Kemp’s physical is complete, the Padres can send prospect Zach Eflin to the Dodgers, who can then send Eflin to Philadelphia to complete the Jimmy Rollins trade — barring any other hold-ups. Because the Phillies are sending cash to the Dodgers for Rollins (and the Dodgers are sending cash to the Padres for Kemp), the commissioner’s office needs to approve both trades.
It could be that the cash is the only thing keeping the Dodgers’ four-year, $48 million contract with pitcher Brandon McCarthy from becoming official. Judging by his new Twitter avatar, McCarthy sees no need to wait to change teams.
One more link to pass along: Dan Szymborski of ESPN.com offers an analytical breakdown of the Kemp trade, which might be needed if you’re a fan ready to jump off the ledge (and a wholly unnecessary read if you’ve already jumped off).