A bit of news from the “obvious” stack this weekend.
As reported by Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, the Dodgers have no intention of trading outfielder Matt Kemp despite his down season.
“I’ve never floated his name,” Dodgers GM Ned Colletti said Saturday. “He’s a gifted, five-tool player. He’s getting better and better. He’s had a tough couple of months. It’s a baseball career. It’s not a baseball two months. ... I have no intention of moving him.”
And that’s how it should be. Kemp is batting just .258/.313/.463 this season, well off his career pace of .291/.340/.477, but he’s only 25 and even the greatest superstars (not named Albert Pujols) go through a disappointing season or two. He has a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger in his trophy case and he hit 26 home runs, tallied 101 RBI and swiped 34 stolen bases last season for Los Angeles. Sure, the Dodgers could use a couple of starters, but selling low on potential greatness would be downright foolish.
