Matt Kemp (or LAD OFs)

I don't mean to be overly terse, but if the Sox are going to spend $100M+ on a center fielder, I'd prefer they spend it keeping the guy they've got. Also, Kemp really shouldn't be playing center even when he's healthy. And if they can't keep Ellsbury, I'd rather Bradley. People were getting really snarky in September at the idea that Jackie Bradley would be better than Jacoby Ellsbury, even though people never really argued that - just that Bradley would be the better value and that he's on the way up while Ellsbury is likely to regress as he ages. But there's a solid chance that Bradley is better than Kemp in 2014, never mind 2019.

Massive contract for a declining star? What could go wrong?

Would you trade a near-MVP who put together back-to-back-to-back-to-back years of 155+ games played for Dempster and some B or C guys? The Dodgers have 4 starting outfielders (2 which are making 20m+) and logic says that they would try to move one of them, but when he's right, Kemp is the best of them all. Remember that even with the contracts of Crawford and Beckett, the Dodgers still had to give RDLR and Webster to get Gonzalez. I am not against the idea of having Kemp in Boston, but that deal won't get done unless you add at least one top-5 guy because the Dodgers aren't going to give up someone that talented, even with a fat contract, for a borderline #5 making 12.5m and a few future bench players/fringe-average starters. Hell, for an injury-prone #3/#4 we had to give up Iglesias. Keep in mind that we have Bradley, Vic, the .300 hitter Nava, the near-.300 hitter Carp, and Gomes in next years outfield and Hassan as the first to be called up, which is pretty good without Kemp's addition. If we were to get Kemp without giving up our entire system or decimating the chemistry of our team, I would be very excited.

They would do better off trading from their upper minors depth of starting pitching prospects for Joc Pederson. Only Henry Owens ought to be off limits as a trade chip for him IMO.

boomer, I'm confused - what exactly is wrong with Jackie Bradley?

You don't want Ethier - not with that contract. He's a strict platoon player (if used correctly - he's seriously horrible vs. LHP's), and him playing center this past season was a joke. They had two far superior defenders in Crawford and Puig who they wanted to keep in their more natural positions. Truth is, Ethier is a pretty mediocre defensive outfielder, and his GG award a couple years back was nothing more than a typical reflection of the joke that the award is. Ethier in RF at Fenway would be marginally better than Nava, at best. He'll be 32 next season and coming off ankle issues. If he's with the Sox in a productive role, it'd be platooning in LF, but Nava's presence (and far more cost-effective contract) make Ethier seem pretty incompatible with the Sox.

How much of a prospect package does it take to get Kemp as well? Wonder if Boston would add Peavy or Dempster to the deal to offset some of Kemp's compensation vs straight cash coming back giving the Dodgers another starter behind Kershaw and Greinke and hopefully one less prospect heading West. Kemp is only 29 but his injuries are a concern. Without his injuries however he would never be available on the market. He does offer positional flexibility and was all but a 40/40 (non-repeatable) player as recent as 2011 before injury.

How do you suspect his bat would play in Fenway vs the Ravine? I find Kemp very interesting. It would be nice to have around 21.5 mil coming back to offset approximately the last year of his contract and leaving the deal at 6 year and 17.75 mil per. Of course the more LA takes on financially the more Boston has to include.

What would you put as the parameters to a trade? Money, prospects etc . .?

My thoughts also.  I wonder how much though.  Very very limited sample in Fenway.  In the West he did have Colorado and Arizona to offset some of the SD, SF away games though.

I'm not sure it's quite that simple. Ellsbury is a year older than Kemp, and looking for 7 years (whereas Kemp is only signed for 6), plus Kemp is a much better fit for the composition of this team.

It could just be other teams looking at their surplus of OF and saying "Gee, I think I'd like that one".

The dodgers probably want to move Ethier more.

There's definitely a risk but Ells will almost certainly beat Kemps current 6/128 and that's not including the Dodgers kicking in money and maybe taking Dempster off the books.

When exactly did Kemp start to suffer these injuries? He was raking through 36 games that makes you think he could have repeated 2011. .355/.444/.719 12 HRs. Then he missed 6 weeks was that the shoulder? You have to be worried about an Agon like loss of power after shoulder surgery but if he rebounds close to 2011- first of 2012 he's a top 10-15 player.

LAD would have to be tempted to get a 3b like WMB for Joc