Trade Target: Why The Yankees Should Pursue Matt Kemp

Jun 21, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp (27) singles during the sixth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

With the trade deadline growing ever closer, the Yankees find themselves right in the thick of things again.  Offensive and pitching struggles have the Yankees looking at multiple players around the league.  One player the Yankees should take a long. hard look at, is Los Angeles Dodgers’ outfielder Matt Kemp. With Los Angeles being loaded with guys like Carl Crawford, Yasiel Puig, Andre Eithier, Scott Van Dyke, and even top prospect  Joc Pederson in the outfield. Matt Kemp has simply become the odd man out.

Because of injuries to Eithier and Crawford, Kemp has been thrown back into the starting lineup and has performed very well, hitting .270, with 7 home runs, and 28 RBI in only 69 games, and is hitting .333 over his last ten games. Kemp does obviously have some issues, one being health. He played just 73 games last year due to injuries, and the biggest problem being that $160 million dollar contract. To move Kemp, the Dodgers will need to be willing to eat a large amount of that money if they expect much in return in terms of talent.

With Soriano not panning out this year, and Ichiro not being a spring chicken,  Kemp could not only be a temporary fix, but he may be what the Yankees need. Being only 29-years-old, Kemp could be plugged in in right field, and be an everyday guy for the next few years, and the Yankees need to get younger desperately!!

Teams like Boston,  and Seattle among others, are already in on Kemp, and its been a known fact that the Dodgers have been open to moving him for a while now, and he has only recently become a hot commodity due to his success this season.  Kemp who is clearly on the upswing from his injuries, could end up being a 25 homer, 80 RBI guy and wouldn’t be overly expensive to get, not to mention he can still swipe a bag every now and then. The Dodgers have Eithier back now, so they are more than willing to move Kemp.

It’s  a no-brainer, the Yankees need Matt Kemp!