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The Red Sox are one of the teams still in contact with the Los Angeles Dodgers regarding a possible trade for outfielder Matt Kemp according to Jon Morosi:
Sources: Dodgers have remained in contact with multiple teams on possibility of Matt Kemp trade. SEA, BOS, TEX among those with interest.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 3, 2013
It's certainly been a trade-happy offseason so far. Fielder - Kinsler, Doug Fister, and a fair few smaller moves, a few of them coming today, have shaken up the league quite a bit even as the biggest free agents remain on the shelf. A deal for Matt Kemp would clearly join the headliners, the question is whether or not it would make any sense for the team dealing with the Dodgers.
We've been over this idea before. But we've got some added context today, with the Red Sox' price range for Jacoby Ellsbury being pegged at $100 million. Obviously the two are not the same player, but it's an indication of where the Red Sox might be willing to go overall on large-ticket players.
At the moment, Kemp is signed for 6 years and $128 million. That's not terribly tempting, even at his young age. But it's not far from that Ellsbury amount. Which is to say the Dodgers wouldn't have to eat much of that contract to get it "in range". And while Kemp's injuries are more recent than Ellsbury's, he's also a full year younger.
Of course, Kemp would also require more than just money. And if the Dodgers are looking to get as much in terms of prospects as they gave the Red Sox when they took on so many contracts, well, there's probably no way to make it worth the risk Kemp would represent to Boston.
But in an offseason with increasingly little promise, Kemp certainly represents a unique opportunity to actually improve on the 2013 squad.