According to FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, the Orioles recently reached out to the Dodgers to discuss a trade for outfielder Matt Kemp. Rosenthal suspects that this could be a leverage play to pressure Nick Markakis and/or Nelson Cruz into re-signing. Or maybe the O’s are actually viewing Kemp as an alternative if those free agents decide to depart.
Kemp had a really strong second half this past season in Los Angeles, batting .309/.365/.606 after the All-Star break, so the Dodgers might be leaning toward keeping him. They just lost Hanley Ramirez to the Red Sox, so Kemp’s right-handed power is something they’ll probably want to carry into 2015.
It’s going to take a significant trade package to get him to Baltimore, even though he’s owed big money. Kemp, 30, is due to make $21.5 million per season through the 2019 campaign.