GLENDALE, Ariz. — There are things you didn’t expect to see in Arizona any time soon.
Snow. Hybrid cars. Matt Kemp in a Dodgers uniform.
“I’m just as surprised as you,” Kemp said Tuesday, that familiar smile surrounded by the seemingly-obligatory bushy beard, his equally-inflamed hair held back by a Dodger blue headband as he talked to reporters in front of a locker just a few feet from the one he last occupied at Camelback Ranch in spring 2014.
The unexpected reunion began with a call from his agent back in December when the Dodgers and Atlanta Braves agreed to a trade that was all about the bad contracts being shed. The Braves took Adrian Gonzalez, Brandon McCarthy and Scott Kazmir off the Dodgers’ hands, allowing the Dodgers to get under the competitive-balance tax threshold for the first time in five years.
In exchange, the Dodgers agreed to take Kemp and the $43 million remaining on the contract he signed with them to much fanfare in November 2011.
“When I got the call I was eating lunch with some friends,” Kemp said. “My agent called me. He was like, ‘Hey, you’ve been traded.’ I was, ‘Where?’ He started laughing. ‘What??’ And he said, ‘It’s the Dodgers.’ I’m like, ‘Stop lying.’ And he was, ‘No, for real.’”
The trade was for real. But Kemp’s return also figured to be not for long. The Dodgers spent the winter trying to move him to another team, hoping to get someone else to pay at least a portion of his remaining salary.
Those efforts will no doubt continue – and would only be aided if Kemp proves to be as rejuvenated as he claims to be and as in shape as he appears to be this spring. For now, though, Kemp is one of the position players who reported to camp along with pitchers and catchers Tuesday.
“They were up front with me. They told me they didn’t know what was going to happen,” Kemp said. “But for me – I love being back. This is where I came up. This is where I grew up. I’ve always wanted to win a World Series here and win here. It was fun watching these guys play last year and get to the World Series. Why wouldn’t I want to be a part of that?”
How much a part of it Kemp will be is one of the largest unknowns hanging over a Dodgers’ camp that has precious few. The Dodgers’ depth chart in left field is loaded with options – both left-handed (Andrew Toles, Joc Pederson, Alex Verdugo) and right-handed (Kiké Hernandez, Trayce Thompson, Kemp). All are younger than Kemp, on the upside of their careers, not circling back to their beginnings.
“I don’t think anybody knows what their role is right now,” Kemp said. “I’ve got a lot left in me. I can help this team win. I came to camp feeling good, feeling strong. I’m ready to go.”
At age 33, Kemp is no longer the dynamic athlete he was in his salad days with the Dodgers. If he has “a lot left in me,” he recognizes that has to be proven.
“I think so,” he said. “I mean, I know I can be in this lineup. I know I can help this team win. I still have a lot to offer. I’m in shape. I feel good. Prove to everybody I can still play defense and go out there and help the team win.
“Of course we’ve all got something to prove. Every year. Every year, the stats are zero-zero. Everybody starts out fresh. It’s a fresh start for me back in L.A., so why now do it back where I started.”
Only a handful of players in the Dodgers’ clubhouse at Camelback Ranch this spring have been teammates with Kemp before. Clayton Kershaw is one and he said he reached out to Kemp after the trade went down.
“I texted Matt a couple weeks ago,” Kershaw said. “I’ve seen him at his best. I know how good he can be. I know he still has the ability to hit a baseball really well. I hope he gets the chance to prove that here.
“Obviously, Matt has something to prove and that’s awesome. He looks great right now. … If he’s healthy, his offensive abilities are unquestioned as far as what I’ve seen. If he can move around the outfield, catch some balls, he can be a big asset for us.”
Kemp’s ability to move around the outfield was massively diminished over the past few years. According to most metrics, he was among the worst defensive outfielders in baseball last season. If he is somehow going to stick around for a second run with the Dodgers, Kemp will have to prove he won’t be a liability in the field.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is convinced the motivation of playing for a World Series contender and a serious upgrade in fitness will make Kemp acceptable defensively.
“I think part of it is he wants to win,” Roberts said. “On the defensive side, there’s gotta be that ‘every game is important’ mentality. That’s one part of it. And the other part of it is the positioning that we do, putting guys in the right spot, will help that. Matt being in amazing shape will help that. The natural ability to read a ball off the bat, he possesses that. I expect it to be a huge uptick in the metrics this year.”
