There has been a major snag in a blockbuster trade that would send two-time Gold Glove award winner, two-time Silver Slugger award winner, and two-time All-Star Matt Kemp to the San Diego Padres. Bob Nightengale of USA Today revealed that the Padres are worried about the results from Kemp's physical which took place on Tuesday.
The holdup in Matt Kemp trade is because the physical revealed arthritis in both hips. The #Padres continue to consult medical experts.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 18, 2014
Kemp, 30, has 9089.1 innings logged since his debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in May of 2006, and having arthritis in both hips is surely something to be concerned about.
The proposed trade between the Padres and Dodgers is rumored to be as the following:
Padres receive: Matt Kemp (outfielder); Tim Federowicz (catcher); $32 million to offset Matt Kemp's $107 million contract through 2019
Dodgers receive: Yasmani Grandal (catcher), Joe Wieland (right-handed pitcher), Zach Eflin (right-handed pitcher)
The interesting twist in this trade hold-up, is that one of the players Los Angeles would receive from San Diego, Zach Eflin, is one of the two pitchers thought to be in-turn sent to Philadephia for shortstop Jimmy Rollins. The other pitcher is rumored to be left-hander Tom Windle, already a member of the Dodgers organization.
If the Padres-Dodgers trade does not occur and Eflin remains a Padre, the Jimmy Rollins deal would not necessarily become nullified as well. Other prospects within the Dodgers organization could be considered, and if you are the Phillies, could you really afford having Rollins, 36, back for another season?
J.P. Crawford, 19, is thought to be Rollins' eventual successor. He hit 11 home runs and brought in 48 RBIs in 123 games within the Phillies' minor league system last season. Rollins remaining a Phillie would only take away valuable at-bats from Crawford this Spring Training, if invited. Freddy Galvis and Cesar Hernandez will also be considered for the starting role.
Update: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that if the Kemp-to-San Diego trade falls through, the Dodgers "almost certainly would respond in strongest possible fashion."
Information damages Kemp in public realm. Gives appearance of #Padres trying to leverage medical information. And is a violation of HIPAA.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 18, 2014
Matt Rappa (@mattrappa) is a contributor to Philliedelphia.com.
