This is why I was happy to see the news shared by Ken Gurnick on his Hot Stove Blog. The Dodger have inquired with Matt Kemp's agent about the possibilities of a long term deal.
"We've only talked about it a little bit, so who knows where it's going to go?" said former Dodgers pitcher Dave Stewart, who represents Kemp and pitcher Chad Billingsley.Thank goodness Scott Boras isn't involved.
Being that this is Kemp's first year of arbitration eligibility I suspect a one year deal is more likely for the time being. This was confirmed in Gurnick's MLB article.
"We've got to figure out if it even makes sense to do a multiyear. The club is looking for something, the player is looking for something. Sometimes it's difficult to find a meeting of the minds. In that case, we're fine doing it one year at a time."On the other hand, I love hearing that the Dodger brass is being proactive about it- even if the current gap is far from being met. What is that old saying? You gotta give it that old college try.
As The Hardball Times shows, Matt Kemp is certainly a player you want to sign up long term right away.
He's still regarded as a raw-yet-tantalizing talent, but the numbers say he's moved beyond that. He's a star. Now, not soon. Kemp has been a better young player than Beltran--their age-24 seasons were remarkably similar, but Kemp's prior performance vastly exceeds Beltran's. We're talking about a transcendent talent, one you'll want to say you saw play when he was just a colt.Check out the Hardball article as Joshua Fisher put together some comparables for the potential statistical trendline for Kemp.
We have a superstar in our midst and it feels good.