Quote Originally Posted by nsacpi View Post
Kemp for Russell Martin makes some sense. I think though we would have to kick in some additional value.
This is the reason I think they just have to hold onto him and hope he doesn't become a distraction in the clubhouse when you make him a platoon guy (in the vein that Flowers and Suzuki have been a platoon - really more of a timeshare) with Adams. The two of them together should provide plenty of offense in LF in 2018, and you simply MAKE Snitker (or whomever might replace him) take whichever one's in there out when you get to the late innings. Any bad contract swap involving Kemp at this point is only likely to return someone that REALLY gets in the way somewhere where they'd actually be blocking somebody...

1.) Martin - gets in the way of re-signing Suzuki or signing someone like Avila this winter, and keeps you from possibly playing on Grandal or Ramos next winter.

2.) Having Kennedy on the books really scares me - his HR/9 rate keeps climbing, and that place is a canyon compared to SunTrust. While we can arguably use a veteran innings-eater for one more year, I sure wouldn't want him still on the books after next season, since even though you don't expect everybody to work out, he'd REALLY be in the way when Allard, Wright, and Soroka are so hot on this first group's heels. I'd rather keep Dickey to be that vet - there's a lot more chance the brass is willing to cut bait with him in the middle of next season even if they get nothing back.

3.) Tulo and 4.) Ellsbury - Just me, but I don't want anywhere near either of those guys. They both strike me as "Panda-lites" who are seriously likely to get even worse from a production standpoint, and could become even bigger clubhouse distractions than Kemp could.

There's no doubt Kemp sucks, but his offense probably isn't going to decline much more (if at all) before his contract is up, and if you can convince him you're platooning him with Adams or Markakis to keep them all healthier and more productive he'll probably be "OK" - FWIW he does seem to be pretty good in the dugout when he's been hurt and not playing, and does appear that he likes it enough here to at least ride things out as long as he's just not ignored and just made a PH.