How trading Kemp saved the Dodgers

i'll look for the preseason padres thread
but in the meantime...
:argue::tuborg:

How the Matt Kemp trade saved the Dodgers season
by Eric Schaal | CheatSheet Sports — June 16, 2015

When news hit that L.A. traded Matt Kemp to San Diego for a low-profile catcher and minor leaguers, critics considered the move a salary dump at best and highway robbery at worst. Many wondered why MLB’s biggest spender would ever consider it. As we approach the halfway point of the 2015 season, it’s clear L.A.’s front office wanted space for its budding star in center fielder as much as it wanted an upgrade at catcher. Considering the contributions of Yasmani Grandal and Joc Pederson alongside Kemp’s performance in San Diego, the trade has saved the Dodgers season thus far.

SELLING KEMP HIGH
It’s likely GM Andrew Friedman saw the offseason as an opportunity to sell Kemp’s services at their peak. Though the Dodgers are paying about $6 million per year of Kemp’s salary to San Diego through 2019, the outfielder was turning 30 and had struggled to play a full season for several years. Coming off a bounce-back season for L.A., Friedman made a move that brought a better catcher from San Diego in Grandal and an internal upgrade at center in Pederson while Kemp’s stock was high. (L.A. also flipped a prospect to acquire Howie Kendrick to play second.)

Critics of the deal — including Fox’s Ken Rosenthal — immediately dubbed the deal “one of the most inspired moves in [Padres] club history” and said on the Dodgers’ end it would be “almost impossible for them to justify this trade in the narrow view.” It hasn’t worked out that way.



Through his first 64 games for the Padres, Kemp has been terrible, hitting .249 with 13 doubles, 2 HR, and a putrid .629 OPS. His performance in the outfield has been just as bad. The totals reveal a player with a negative value when measured against a replacement (-0.2 WAR). But his contribution for San Diego does not require any advanced stats: Kemp’s struggles in both side of the game are plain for any fan to see.

On the Dodgers’ end, one could argue Grandal’s contribution (7 HR, 22 RBI, .840 OPS in 47 games) was worth a one-for-one trade for Kemp, but when you add in the Joc Pederson impact the deal is an enormous win-win for the organization.

THE JOC PEDERSON ERA
The 2015 MLB season has featured blazing performances by Bryce Harper and Mike Trout (among others), but it is difficult for anyone to compete with the Joc Pederson highlight reel this season. The 23-year-old center fielder can be seen pounding the baseball (17 HR, .929 OPS through 62 games) or robbing opposing players of hits on what seems like a nightly basis. Already, Pederson has posted a 2.9 WAR for the Dodgers.

With Yasiel Puig out for much of the season and Carl Crawford checking in with his usual slate of injuries, L.A. has leaned heavily on its rookie outfielder, and he has responded in every facet of the game. Criticized for his high strikeout totals, Pederson is actually leading the team in walks as well as home runs and trails only Adrian Gonzalez in OPS.

Prior to the trade, Kemp was expected to play with Crawford, Puig, and Andre Ethier around him in the outfield. On the topic of playing time and internal grumbling, L.A. would have had the usual round of clubhouse problems in addition to its troubles with two starting pitchers out for the year. Calls for Don Mattingly’s head would probably be coming with more frequency than they had in the past years. With that recipe, it’s doubtful L.A. would have made it to first place on June 15. (By contrast, San Diego fired manager Bud Black just before this article went to press.)

Instead, the front office got rid of Kemp (and $15 million of his annual salary) while getting a hitting catcher in his place, not to mention an everyday second baseman. But these contributions pale compared to what it has allowed Joc Pederson to do for the team. Whatever happens from here on out — and the Dodgers continue to have problems — the Matt Kemp deal has saved L.A.’s season to date.

Stats, current as of June 15, are courtesy of Baseball Reference.​

 

I went to the Padre game today...
And although Kemp did hit a home run today, it was like watching little league with him out there in right field. He turned a couple singles into a triple and a double for the A's.

 

"How firing Don Mattingly saved the Dodgers"

 

don't look now
but the padres just inadvertently improved their outfield defense
come on, jump aboard! :tuborg:

Wil Myers To Undergo Left Wrist Surgery
By Steve Adams [June 17, 2015 at 7:57pm CDT]

Padres outfielder Wil Myers will undergo surgery to remove a bone spur from his left wrist tomorrow, writes Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union Tribune. It will likely be at least eight weeks before Myers is able to resume baseball activities, Lin adds, which seems to suggest that Myers could be sidelined through the end of August.

It’s been an injury plagued season for the 24-year-old Myers, who joined the Padres in a three-team trade that sent Joe Ross and Trea Turner to the Nationals while also sending Steven Souza, Burch Smith, Rene Rivera, Jake Bauers and Travis Ott to the Rays. Myers was tasked with playing center field despite not carrying a strong reputation even as a corner outfielder, and the results weren’t pretty, from a defensive standpoint (-9 DRS, -57 UZR/150 in 260 innings).

Myers, however, was acquired more for his bat than his glove, and he didn’t disappoint in that regard. In 159 plate appearances with the Padres this season, Myers has batted .277/.322/.459 with five homers, 10 doubles and a triple. When weighting that line to account for his home park, Myers has been about 22 percent above the league average (per wRC+ and OPS+).

Myers has missed significant time in both 2014 and 2015 with injuries to each of his wrists. A sprain and a fracture in his right wrist led to separate DL stints for Myers last season, and he’s been troubled by both inflammation and tendinitis in his left wrist this season — the same wrist that will now put him on the shelf for another two months or more. According to Lin, Myers has played through this bone spur since middle school, but it became increasingly problematic this year when a tendon near his pinkie finger became inflamed.

In Myers’ absence, the Padres will likely use a combination of Will Venable and Melvin Upton Jr. in center field, with Justin Upton and Matt Kemp handling corner outfield duties. The loss of Myers hurts the lineup, though it does allow interim manager Pat Murphy an avenue to insert a much-needed left-handed bat — Venable — into his lineup with regularity. Venable is hitting a strong .273/.331/.453 against righties this season and owns a lifetime .257/.322/.430 slash when holding the platoon advantage.

Myers did start five games at first base this season, so it shouldn’t be completely ruled out that hyper-aggressive GM A.J. Preller could pursue a trade for a center fielder, then use Myers at first base if he’s able to return in a timely fashion. Doing so could theoretically displace Yonder Alonso, where he’s enjoyed a .319/.406/.420 start to his season. Much of that is owed a to a .359 BABIP, however, as Alonso still offers little power, especially relative to his first base peers.​

 

well said
and there's a reason wild card teams have done so well... they get hot at the right time
all you have to do is survive the regular season, make the playoffs... and from then on it's a crapshoot
sure you want to go in with the best team possible, but that's still no guarantee
the last time we won, no one expected us to