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Atlanta Braves must part with Matt Kemp

By Fred Owens

Atlanta Braves Outfielder Matt Kemp seen here hitting a home run against the Miami Marlins had an injury plagued season. That makes his contract a burden and the Braves need to trade him to make room for younger players. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images)
Atlanta Braves Outfielder Matt Kemp seen here hitting a home run against the Miami Marlins had an injury plagued season. That makes his contract a burden and the Braves need to trade him to make room for younger players. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images) /
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Atlanta Braves Outfielder Matt Kemp seen here hitting a home run against the Miami Marlins had an injury plagued season. That makes his contract a burden and the Braves need to trade him to make room for younger players.
Atlanta Braves Outfielder Matt Kemp seen here hitting a home run against the Miami Marlins had an injury plagued season. That makes his contract a burden and the Braves need to trade him to make room for younger players. /

Matt Kemp joined the Atlanta Braves in August 2016 and played well enough to give fans hope he’s settle in as their four hole hitter. In spite of a hot start this year, injuries quickly dashed that hope.

The specter of Matt Kemp in left field to start 2018 is enough to send Atlanta Braves fans into fits of despair. Ideally they’ll trade him but that won’t be easy.

Trading Matt Kemp

At 33 years old a healthy Matt Kemp would never be traded. Even with diminished speed and a slowing bat he could be penciled in for 30 home runs and 100 RBI with above average defense.  The problem is, Kemp wasn’t healthy in 2017 and the injuries he suffered are likely to recur.

Aside from two arthritic hips, he’s had hamstring issues off and on since 2012 in every season except 2016, shoulder issues in 2013 that appeared briefly in 2015, and ankle injury that eventually led to surgery in 2013.

This season’s woes

This year it was his hamstrings that limited him to 115 games. While his old-fashioned batting line looks good – 294PA, 19 homers, 64 RBI and a .276/.318/.463/.781 slash- most of his good work was done in the first half before the hammy gave him the whammy.

Half BA OBP SLG OPS ISO wOBA wRC+
1st .293 .340 .486 .826 .280 .347 113
2nd .243 .272 .417 .688 .174 .288 74

(Statistics courtesy Fangraphs)

He finished with the league lead for grounding into double plays – 25 –  one more than DJ LeMahieu in spite of 171 fewer AB. His 25 was bad enough for second in MLB behind Albert Pujols but in 155 fewer AB.

His defense was nothing to write home about before his injury but his bat carried it. After the injury it was awful, it’s hard to play the field when the legs don’t work well.

The other issue is his contract; Kemp is owed $43.5M  through 2019. The Padres will pay 3.5M of that each year but it’s still a $36.5M commitment for a player who should be a DH. It’s hard to sell that kind of package straight up so the consensus is that the Braves will have to pay a lot of that money.  That may be correct but there may be a way to ease the pain.

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