Matt Kemp wants to be the Dodgers’ starting center fielder again and if they aren’t willing to grant him that request he’s open to a trade, agent Dave Stewart revealed to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com.
Here’s an exact quote from Stewart, just for proper context:
Certainly nowhere near a trade request--and the rest of Rosenthal’s article pushing the potential trade angle is actually quote-free--but there’s absolutely zero indication that the Dodgers have any plans to move Kemp back to center field, so if that’s going to be a sticking point in the future the issue will come to a head eventually.
Kemp hasn’t started a game in center field since mid-May, when manager Don Mattingly determined that the 29-year-old’s defense is no longer suitable for the position. He’s hit decently in 42 games as a left fielder, batting .279 with three homers and a .751 OPS, but Kemp’s defense there has hardly screamed “this guy is still probably a really good center fielder!”
Kemp is making $21 million this season and is owned another $21 million in 2015 followed by $21.5 million per season from 2016-2019. He signed the eight-year, $160 million contract extension in November of 2011, after finishing runner-up in the MVP balloting to Ryan Braun. That year he hit .324 with a .986 OPS, but since signing the deal he’s hit .283 with an .811 OPS while missing 156 of a possible 421 games.