It’s going to take more than one story or one blog entry to grasp the full scope of what’s happened to the Dodgers roster since the end of the season. I wrote this today. It’s a start. Mostly, it’s a look ahead to what the 2015 Dodgers could look like. What changes could happen between now and then?
Two thoughts.
Continue reading “Two thoughts on the Dodgers’ 2015 roster.” »
It took a while, but we can report the final terms of the trade sending Matt Kemp to the San Diego Padres.
Dodgers receive:
C Yasmani Grandal
RHP Joe Wieland
RHP Zach Eflin (traded to Philadelphia with LHP Tom Windle for SS Jimmy Rollins)
Padres receive:
RF Matt Kemp
C Tim Federowicz
$32 million
It’s probably not fair to judge this move in a vacuum, but that’s how Matt Kemp has been judged for the last eight seasons. So judge away:
Matt Kemp became a San Diego Padre on Thursday. (John McCoy/Staff Photographer)
Two blockbuster trades that seemed inevitable a week ago became official Thursday after an issue with Matt Kemp’s physical caused an awkward delay.
Continue reading “Finally! Dodgers, Padres, Phillies complete blockbuster trades.” »
Matt Kemp has been placed on the disabled list seven times in his career, but never for a hip injury. (Associated Press photo)
Matt Kemp was reportedly scheduled to take his physical with the San Diego Padres on Tuesday. Two days later — seven days since the framework of the trade was agreed to by both teams — Kemp is still a Dodger.
So what’s the holdup?
The holdup in Matt Kemp trade is because the physical revealed arthritis in both hips. The #Padres continue to consult medical experts.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 18, 2014
For a 30-year-old player who has had serious shoulder and ankle issues the last two years, this diagnosis poses another serious blow. The arthritis might not be Kemp’s most serious problem at the moment. Continue reading “Report: Matt Kemp has arthritis in both hips.” »
Matt Kemp could officially become a San Diego Padre tomorrow. (John McCoy/Staff Photographer)
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).